Hydronic Balancing Part 1: The Standards and

Driving Force Behind the New Requirements

By Chad Edmondson

Balancing plays a critical roll in the performance of any hydronic heating and cooling system. For that
reason alone, ASHRAE has made hydronic balancing a non-negotiable stop on the road to compliance
with ASHRAE 90.1-2010 (or 2013), starting with this requirement:

6.4.2.2 Pump Head. Pump differential pressure (head) for the purpose of sizing pumps shall be
determined in accordance with generally accepted engineering standards and handbooks acceptable to the
adopting authority. The pressure drop through each device and pipe segment in the critical circuit at
design conditions shall be calculated.

Furthermore, systems must be balanced:

6.7.2.3 Hydronic System Balancing. Hydronic systems shall be proportionately balanced in a manner to
first minimize throttling losses; then the pump impeller shall be trimmed or pump speed shall be adjusted
to meet design flow conditions.

And finally, there is this:

6.7.2.3.1 General. Construction documents shall require that all HVAC systems be balanced in
accordance with generally accepted engineering standards. Construction documents shall require that a
written balance report be provided to the building owner or the designated representative of the building
owner for HVAC systems serving zones with a total conditions area exceeding 5000 ft2.

All of these standards are interrelated. Accurately calculating pressure drops ensures that pumps are not
oversized. Oversized pumps can lead to inefficient pump operation over the life of the system. Flow
balancing (during and after commissioning) is how we make sure that we only put as much energy into the
system as we are take out. Flow balancing is also how we begin to benchmark the performance of our
buildings, a practice that ASHRAE aspires to make commonplace. It is all part of a long-term plan to
drive more and more buildings to net zero energy performance.

In all likelihood the standards as written above are now part of your own building code since the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) has required that states update their building codes to meet or exceed
Standard 90.1-2010 (or ask for an extension) by October 18, 2013.

What does this mean to mechanical engineers designing commercial buildings larger than 5000 sq. ft.?
Among other things, it means that you must now incorporate a balancing procedure into your mechanical
specifications and include in the design plan all the necessary instrumentation to perform that procedure.

Over the next several blogs well dig deeper into what you, as a designer or as a commissioner, need to
know and understand in order to meet the balancing standards of 90.1- 2010 (and 2013).

Hydronic Balancing Part 2: Making the Most of System Diversity

Practically any commercial or institutional building has a certain amount of diversity within its cooling
load, meaning that peak loads will never occur simultaneously in all sections or zones of a facility. By
mapping out the individual load patterns of these sections, engineers can adjust the mechanical design to
reduce the overall amount of installed cooling capacity. This means incorporating variable flow, which
necessitates precise hydronic balancing.

To illustrate this point, consider this simple example of a central chilled water system at a college with
four basic groups of buildings and identical peak loads:

Building Peak Load

Dorms 1000 tons

Cafeteria 1000 tons

Library 1000 tons

Gym 1000 tons

Clearly, the load pattern of these buildings will vary and at no time will there be concurrent peak loads in
all four buildings. (Students cant be in more than one place at a time!) In other words, there is diversity
within the system. This gives the designer the opportunity to design the system so that the cooling water
is directed only where it is needed.

Lets say that the design engineer has done a complete cooling load calculation and has determined that
the peak block load at any given time is 3000 tons. Block load is the instantaneous maximum heating and
cooling load for a calculated point in time for the entire building, including all envelope and internal load
components of the heating and cooling load calculation.
The engineer determines the peak block load based on the diversity factor that he or she has chosen for the
system given the anticipated load patterns of the system. In our example, the engineer would have chosen
a diversity factor of .75 because the diversity factor is the peak block load (3000 Tons) divided by the total
connected load (4000 Tons).

Here are some very general rules of thumb for diversity in buildings:

.85 for systems up to 25 tons

.80 for systems from 25 tons to 100 tons

.75 for systems larger than 100 tons.

Figure 1

If this particular system were designed in the old style with 3-way valves to provide constant flow through
the chillers (Figure 1), peak block load would not matter because constant flow systems do not take
advantage of diversity. You would have 2400 GPM of constant flow going to the dorms, cafeteria, library
and gym at all times. And the system would require 4 chillers at 1000 tons each instead of just three.
However, we can get by with significantly less cooling capacity and less GPM by taking advantage of the
diversity within the system and incorporating variable speed pumps. (Figure 2).

Figure 2

Notice that the system now includes variable speed pump controls and 2-way valves instead of 3-way
valves. As a result weve trimmed most of the excess out of the system. Were also doing the same job
with less equipment:

One less chiller, and 1000 fewer tons

One less chiller pump

One less cooling tower

One less condenser water pump

Reduced flow (7200 GPM vs. 9600 GPM)

 Smaller pipe main (18 vs. 20)

Obviously there is a lot to be gained both in terms of equipment cost and efficiency, but balancing is more
critical than ever. Why? Because although you have reduced the overall system flow, the peak flow
requirements for each section have not changed. They were 2400 GPM before, and they are 2400 GPM
now, so balancing must be carefully integrated into the system to assure that the maximum flow can be
obtained if needed. In doing so we not only help ensure successful operation the system, but also meet the
requirements of ASHRAE 90.1 for balancing.

Hydronic Balancing Part 3: How To Use The System Syzer

Virtually every aspect of hydronic balancing is based in one fundamental law:

As you double the flow through the piping the pressure drop increases by the square. In other words, the
pressure drop increases by four times what it was.

This law is expressed in the following equation:

Understanding this relationship between flow and pressure is everyones first step toward designing,
installing, or commissioning a balanced hydronic system. It also allows you to take advantage of any
number of tools the industry has made available for the purpose of system balancing like Bell & Gossett
System Syzer.
What Is the System Syzer?

In its most basic form, the System Syzer is a simple plastic side wheel that lets you quickly determine the
pressure drop in a hydronic system assuming you know the pressure drop at one given flow or the Cv.
The Cv or C sub V of a system component is the flow rate in gallons per minute that results in a
pressure drop of 1 psi (or 2.31 feet of head). All components in a hydronic system have a rated Cv;
manufacturers make this information available. Note: Hydronic valves are always rated based on flow
through a fully open valve.

The System Syzer, whether in its slide wheel form or as an application on your i-phone or android, not
only assists in balancing, but also troubleshooting. Either is available for free from Bell & Gossett.

To make sure you understand how the System Syzer works, lets solve a simple problem using the old
fashion slide wheel shown here:

Notice Scale 5 on the bottom half of the slide wheel. This scale is based on the above formula, and
therefore gives you all of the pressure drops for any given flow. Remember for any piping and/or
equipment, if you know its pressure drop at a given flow (GPM), then you can calculate its pressure drop
at any other GPM. Therefore, if you know the Cv for the component (published by the manufacturer),
then you also have your starting point.

Example:

Lets say we have a base-mounted end suction pump with a combination valve on the discharge. We know
that at 701 GPM (the Cv provided by the valve manufacturer) we have a pressure drop of 2.31 feet
through the valve.
What is the pressure loss through the combination valve if the flow rate increases to 1000 GPM? To find
out we simply go to the slide wheel and line up the values of what we know701 GPM (on the white
scale) with 2.31 feet of head (on the upper blue scale).
Without moving the slide again, we can now read off the pressure losses at every GPM on the scale. At
1000 GPM there would be 4.6 feet of head loss through the valve. If we choose, we can chart the pressure
losses through this valve at other flows just by reading off the values of the slide wheel while it is in this
same exact position.

GPM

Pressure Loss

701 - 2.31 feet

1000 - 4.7 feet

1200 - 6.8 feet

1400 - 9.2 feet

2000 - 19 feet
Keep in mind that this handheld version of the System Syzer is designed for typical chilled and hot water
systems with a specific gravity of 1 and a specific heat of 1. The electronic versions that you download to
your phone and/or computer let you incorporate many other variables such as PVC piped systems, non-
water systems, and a greater range of pipe sizes. They also have metric and Spanish language conversion.

Any System Component Can Be a Flow Meter!

Given what we now know about the relationship between flow and pressure, it may have already occurred
to you that you can turn just about any other component in system into a flow meter just by knowing the
pressure drop through it at a given flow. For the sake of accuracy, the inlet and outlet pressures readings
through a component (chiller, heat exchanger, etc.) should be taken with the same gauge, as two gauges
might not be calibrated exactly the same.

Nevertheless, simply knowing these two values you can determine the pressure drop and at other flow or
the flow at any other pressure drop.

Download System Syzer for Windows.

Download System Syzer for mobile device.

Hydronic Balancing Part 4: How to Develop a System Curve

What is a system curve and how is it used to develop a balanced hydronic system?

The system curve is a graphical representation of the head losses and gains of a particular piping system
that result from changes in flow. And its all based on what you already learned if you read our previous
blog on Hydronic Balancing Part 3: How To Use The System Syzer:

As you double the flow through the piping the pressure drop increases by the square. In other words, the
pressure drop increases by four times what it was.

When used in combination with the pump curve, a design engineer can determine the system head and
flow long before the system is installed and the pump is turned on. Its all based on the same math:
 Why System Curves Matter
Pump curves represent the energy that is put into a system; system curves represent what the system takes
out. A system will operate at the point at which these two curves intersect, as long as nothing else changes
in the system (such as a valve being closed or partially closed).

Design engineers want the system and individual circuits to operate at specific flows to satisfy the space
heating and cooling requirements while staying within the operating range of the components. Thats why
the system curve is important. It lets the engineer know where and how much design adjustment or
tweaking of valves will be needed so that once the system is balanced and the pump is turned on it will
operate in a correct and efficient manner. Its not a matter of crossing your fingers its a matter of
knowing exactly how much resistance is in a given piping system and matching it precisely with the flow
characteristics of pump.

How to Plot a System Curve

A system curve is developed by using Scale 5 of the System Syzer, just as we discussed in the previous
blog.

Lets say we have determined the design flow and head for our system to be 2200 GPM at 100 feet of
head. (These values would be based on the critical circuit.) Knowing this, we choose a pump capable of
generating this much head and flow and we take the following steps to develop our system curve and
determine the operating point of our system:

Step 1 Set the System Syzer Scale 5 for 2200 GPM at 100 feet of head.

Step 1 Set the System Syzer Scale 5 for 2200 GPM at 100 feet of head.
Step 2 Without changing the position (or settings) of the System Syzer, read off and record the
head at various other flows.

Step 2 Without changing the position (or settings) of the System Syzer, read off and record the head at
various other flows.

Step 3 Plot these values to develop the system curve

Step 3 Plot these values to develop the system curve

Step 4 Overlay the system curve atop the pump curve for the selected impeller trim to see where
the lines intersect.
Step 4 Overlay the system curve atop the pump curve for the selected impeller trim to see where the
lines intersect.

Wherever the system curve intersects with the pump curve is where that pump will operate under full load
conditions, when all valves are open and the system is at full flow design conditions. Remember, the
system is everything from the pump discharge flange to the pump suction flange. Here it will stay
unless the resistance within the pipe system changes i.e. a valve changing position. As two-way valves
open and close, the system curve will change accordingly and thus where it intersects with the pump
curve. Ideally the pump will have been selected to weather the demand range and safely ride the pump
curve as demand changes.

By understanding how to plot the system curve we can correctly balance a pump at system started-up!
Hydronic Balancing Part 5: Types of Balancing Products

We know we have to balance our hydronic systems to meet the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 Standard. The next
question is what balancing technology should we use. For the most part, ASHRAE leaves that up to the
designer. Here are the typical options:

Circuit Setter

Calibrated Balancing Valves. These have been around for a while and are what most people commonly
refer to as circuit setters. Calibrated balancing valves are designed for pre-set proportional system
balance. This system balance method involves pre-setting the valves to achieve optimum system flow
balance (at minimum horsepower) using the manufacturers performance curves. This straightforward
method is based on the fact that if you know the pressure drop through the device and its Cv (the flow rate
in GPM through the device that results in 1 psi pressure drop), then mathematically you can determine the
flow.

Ball Valve

Standard Ball or Butterfly Valves. These devices, along with pressure gauges or test plugs, allow the
control contractor to measure a pressure drop across the coil or heat exchanger and then determine and
adjust the flow based on the manufacturers performance data.
Flow Limiting Valve

Automatic System-Powered Flow Limiting Valves.

Although these valves are often referred to as automatic flow control devices they are actually flow
limiting valves. These valves can be set to reliably limit flow through a give circuit; however, if the flow
drops beneath this value, there is no actual control. These valves can provide better flow control over a
manual balance when a variable speed system is operating at part load.

Pressure Independent Control Valve

Pressure-independent Flow Control Valves.

These valves combine all the attributes of a balancing valve, control valve, and a differential pressure
regulator into one valve. An integral pressure regulator automatically compensates for fluctuations in
system pressure to stabilize flow rate through the heating or cooling coil. When the actuator is installed, it
will adjust flow in response to heating or cooling demands. The valves eliminate the need for any Cv
calculations and maintain full authority over the entire flow range of the valve.
Ultimately, the type of pumping system you have will determine the type of control device that is best
suited for your application.

Hydronic Balancing Part 6: What Kind of Pumping System Do You Have?

Balancing contractors and facility operators would have a much easier time balancing a hydronic system if
they were present during the system design process. Unfortunately that is rarely the case so there is
usually a certain amount of detective work that comes with balancing. The biggest part of that is getting a
handle on the overall pumping system. You cant effectively balance a system without understanding the
overall flow dynamic. For that reason, we always recommend making a basic sketch of the system before
the balancing process begins.

Pumping systems typically fall into one of five types, which are all noted below. Once you know what the
system looks like in a single snap shot, you are in a far better position to balance it. What youll find is
that the system is likely to bear a striking resemblance to one of Figures 1 through 5.

Figure 1 shows a basic primary-secondary pumping system, with constant flow through the chillers and a
separate secondary pump serving the system load. In this system the primary flow is isolated from the
secondary flow by virtue of the common (decoupler) pipe shown in green between the two loops. The
chillers will be individually balanced for a constant design flow whereas the building flow will vary based
on load.
Figure 2 shows a slightly more complex pumping arrangement known as Primary-Secondary Tertiary.
The good news about this type of design is that it can be easy to balance, as each building/load has its own
pump with a decoupler pipe located between the secondary loop and each of the tertiary loops. This
means that changes in one zone will not affect changes in another so balancing becomes less complex.
This type of system is also easy to add on to in the future.
You might determine that you have a system like the one shown in Figure 3 where there is a single zone
remotely located from the others. Note that Zones A and B are pumped by the same pump, while Zone C
has its own dedicated pump. Each individual pump will have to be balanced and a 2 way valve added to
the Zone C return line.
Figure 4 shows a Primary-Secondary Zone pumping arrangement where, although there are two distinct
loops and only one common pipe, we have separate pumps serving each zone. This type of design keeps
horsepower down, but adds some additional control complexity, as each zone (pump) must be balanced.
Also, since the pumps are in parallel, their performance curves must be compatible.
Figure 5 shows a system without any secondary or zone pumps. All of the flow is established by the
primary pumps, which vary flow through the chillers according to system demand. A motorized control
valve is needed to maintain a minimum flow through the chillers. If designed correctly, this type of
system not only has lower installed cost, but also lower operating cost. Balancing however can be
difficult as there are no common pipes to isolate flow between the various zones. Thats why pressure
independent control valves are often seen in variable primary applications.
In any of the above cases a quick sketch of the pumping system will give the balancing contractor or
facility operator the big picture perspective that is needed when it comes to balancing.

Hydronic Balancing Part 7: When to Trim the Pump Impeller

Balancing isnt just about adjusting valves. Sometimes (very often in fact) it is about evaluating the
performance of the pump(s) under real world operating conditions.

Remember what ASHRAE 90.1 has to say about Hydronic System Balancing:

Hydronic systems shall be proportionately balanced in a manner to first minimizethrottling

losses; then the pump impeller shall be trimmed or pump speed shall be adjusted to meet
design flow conditions.
ASHRAE 90.1

But how does one determine if a pump impeller on an installed pump needs to be trimmed?
First, its important to understand that an installed system almost never matches what is in the original
drawings. Pumps may be oversized and head losses may be different from what was originally calculated
by the system designer, depending on how the contractor piped the system. Therefore it is important to
determine where a pump is operating based on the actual system curve, not the theoretical curve.

To better understand this, lets say we have a single pump system with a design point of 650 GPM at 76 ft.
of head.

In other words, this pump has been selected to deliver 650 GPM to the critical circuit. The design
engineer did his system head loss calculations and determined that we needed exactly 76 ft. of head to
pump this system. Based on these criteria, he selected the following pump:
However, once the pump is installed the owner reports excessive noise in the piping. This is our first clue
that actual operating conditions are not quite as anticipated, so a little detective work is in order.

Out of Balance
First, we must determine how much head and flow the installed pump is generating. Using the same
pressure gauge, we take reading at the pump suction and discharge and discover that the pump is
generating 65 ft. of head. Right away we notice that something is not quite right. This pump was picked,
after all, to deliver 76 feet of head. We consult pump curve and see that the corresponding flow for 65 Ft.
of head is 850 GPM, not the 650 GPM design flow. Were over-pumping the system and that has resulted
not only excessive noise, but also wasted energy.

Our system is not balanced. We are generating more flow than we need, and as a result we are out of
compliance with ASHRAE 90.1 and were wasting energy.
Throttle, Trim or Replace?
We could put a Band-Aid on the problem and simply throttle the pump back so that reduce flow back to
650 GPM, but ASHRAE says were not supposed to do that either. Remember, we want to minimize
throttling because throttling wastes energy and money. A more appropriate solution is trimming the
impeller or perhaps even replacing the pump.

Continuing with our example, we now know our pump and our system are not exactly a match made in
heaven. Sure we can throttle the pump back and even save the owner a little money over what he or she
is paying now, but the real question is how much more money could we save if the pump was a better
match for the installed system.

With a triple duty valve, we can force the system back to its intended operating point on the curve. In this
case, that would reduce our operating cost (based on .06 kW) from the previous annual operating cost
(AOC) of $8000.00 to $7400.00. Seems like a win, but is it?

What if instead we make our adjustment to the pump instead of artificially adding more resistance to the
system? We can determine the outcome of this solution simply by creating a system curve for the system
that we actually have rather than what was predicted/intended by the design engineer. To do that we use
our known operating points of 850 GPM at 63 ft. of head and our System Syzer to plot the points of our
actual system curve. (You can review how to plot a system curve here.)

Using these points, we can plot a new system curve (our real life system curve) onto the pump curve.
Keeping in mind that we only need 650 GPM to serve this system, we simply draw a vertical line on the
pump curve upwards from the 650 GPM to see where it crosses with our system curve.

As you can see in pump curve shown below, the intersection occurs just slightly above the curve for a 7-
impeller or approximately 7 inches, a far better match for our system than the 9- impeller we
currently have.

Notice also the drop horsepower from 17 bhp (how the system was originally running no trim, no
throttle) all the way down to 7 HP. Now our annual operating costs are SIGNIFICANTLY less --
$3600.00 versus $8000.00. Thats a far greater improvement over the $600.00 we would save simply by
throttling valve.
If our system head just was slightly less, the intersection point with the system curve might occur below
this particular pump, in which case we would probably want to replace the whole pump.

Finally, there is one other solution. We could install a variable speed drive on the pump to slow it down
thus changing its performance curve. In this case, however, a trim is all we need to balance the pump with
the system, and meet ASHRAE 90.1.

ASHRAE Passes Standard 188-2015, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water
Systems

We interrupt this regularly scheduled series on hydronic balancing to announce that ASHRAE has
officially published Standard 188-2015, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems.

Its a timely bit of information given our current discussion about balancing, even though it is directed at
domestic water rather than hydronic heating and cooling.
Among other things related to the prevention of Legionella, Standard 188 states:

All water systems shall be balanced and a balance report for all water systems shall be provided to the
building owner or designee.

The keyword here is all water systems.

What Does Balancing Have To Do With Legionella?

Why has ASHRAE decided to address balancing in a standard that is written for the purpose of Legionella
prevention? The reason has to do with domestic hot water recirculation systems particularly large
systems with multiple returns coming back to the boiler.

If these return lines are not balanced it is possible that a period of no flow might occur in one or more of
the return lines. Often referred to as dead legs, these stagnant areas in the pipe increase the risk for
Legionella growth because scale and biofilm tend to collect there, creating a safe haven for Legionella to
grow. Remember -- Legionella can grow and multiply in water temperatures beyond its typical survival
range if it happens to be residing in a cozy bit of scale. Thats why it is important to keep the water
moving even during periods of no demand.

Dead legs can be avoided by installing an automatic balancing valve on each return line to ensure that
some amount of flow is always maintained through each lineunder all demand conditions.

Time to Get Serious about Domestic Water Balancing

Now that Standard 188 has been passed, it is likely to become an ANSI standard, which will no doubt be
accepted into local codes. Its just a matter of time.

So if you are designing or installing any kind of domestic recirculation line now or in the near future dont
forget to balance. As we have discussed in the past, Standard 188 shifts the responsibility of Legionella
prevention to building owners and operators. As such, it will leave them more vulnerable to lawsuits
resulting from a Legionella related incident.

NYC Adopts ASHRAE Legionella Standards

By Chad Edmondson

New York City wasted no time adopting portions of the recently published Standard 188-
2015, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems. This is following the
recent outbreak of Legionnaires disease in the South Bronx. The outbreak was responsible
for the deaths of 12 people and more than 120 confirmed cases of the illness.

In mid-August the New York City Council adopted sections of the Standard which deal
specifically with building surveying, new system start-up and seasonal shutdowns, general
system maintenance, water treatment, disinfection plans, etc.

The NYC health department has also ordered every building in the city with a cooling
tower to evaluate and disinfect it within a specific timeframe. Since mandatory testing
began a few weeks ago, at least 20 cooling towers in NYC, including a school on the
Upper East Side of Manhattan, have tested positive for the Legionella bacteria.

A Rude Awakening to the Realities of Legionella

As we have discussed in previous blogs on Legionnaires disease, the Legionella bacteria is

commonly found in the ground, in water, and even in tap water. It is not likely to become a
health risk unless it begins to multiply and colonize a lesson that some building owners
in NYC (and other places throughout the US) have learned the hard way. At least two
lawsuits have been filed against the Opera House Hotel in the Bronx, identified as a source
of this most recent outbreak.

While it has been a rude awakening for the nations highest populated city, ASHRAE
Standard 188 committee members hope that this news will accelerate the acceptance of the
standard elsewhere.

Standard 188 was published just two short months ago, ASHRAE President David
Underwood said. Although the circumstances surrounding its use are tragic, ASHRAE is
grateful that the standard is available to set requirements to manage risk of this bacteria.
We are hopeful other governments will follow the lead of the New York City Council to
help safeguard public health.

Underwood said ASHRAE will continue its work in getting the full standard adopted in
New York City and in other locations.

Hydronic Balancing Part 8: Read & Set Proportional Balance Method

What is proportional balancing and why is it a requirement of ASHRAE 90.1 energy code?

The task of proportional balancing is the first step to achieving an energy efficient pumping system. It
involves adjusting the system balancing valves to make certain that all zones get proportionate flow under
design conditions. Once this task is complete, it gives us the opportunity to trim the fat out of the system
for greater efficiency (i.e. by trimming the impeller or implementing variable speed pump control).

The process is straightforward and can be easily illustrated using the following example shown in Figure
1.
Figure 1 - Over-headed pump on HVAC system.

Here we have a very simplified 3-zone system that has been designed to provide 500 GPM to all three of
its zones via a pump specified at 1500 GPM and 70 ft. of head. If you are particularly observant, you may
notice that the specified pump is over-headed. If we add up the head losses in the last (critical) circuit, we
see that the required theoretical head for this system is 54 ft not 70 ft. More on that in a bit.

Thats the system on paper, but what happens when we actually turn the pump on?

Anyone in the HVAC business knows that pump and piping systems are rarely (ok, never) installed
exactly as they are on the plans. Thats why it is essential to observe and record the actual operating
conditions of the installed system and compare it with the design. From there we can begin the process of
proportionately balancing the system and adjusting pump speed as needed.

Ready, Set, Balance!

So our simple, 3-zone pumping system is installed and we are ready to get it operating according to
ASHRAE 90.1. The steps involved are as follows:.

Step 1. Turn pump on at full design speed, making sure that all valves are full open
Step 2. Locate the critical (most disadvantaged) zone/terminal unit and note the flow through this unit. It
is likely to be well below what is required at peak load. Going back to our example, lets say we turn the
system and this is what we find:

Figure 2 - Unbalanced system with pump on and valves wide open.

Clearly this isnt what we were going for but remember all the valves are wide open and weve yet to
balance. We have far too much flow (perhaps even enough to be noisy) going into the first coil, while the
most distant coil falls short of the 500 GPM design flow.

Figure 3 shows the actual operating curve (in blue) of our oversized pump versus where it was specified to
operate (in green).
Figure 3 - Actual operating curve of oversized pump.

Step 3. Adjust the flow via the circuit setter in Zone 1 so that it is receiving 1/3 of the total flow.
Remember, in this particular design, all of the loads are equal, so flow would be apportioned to each in
thirds.

(Although Figure 1 didnt show circuit setters, we know that in the real world each of these zones would
have been installed with circuit setters or some other type of flow control device on the return side of the
coils.)

Step 4. Adjust the flow in Zone 2 in the same manner as you adjusted Zone 1. Continue to compare this
value with the total pump flow, which will drop slightly due to the added resistance of the throttled circuit
setters. You want Zone 1 and Zone 2 to be equal in flow AND each to have 1/3 of the total flow. Because
you have left the Zone 3 circuit setter wide open, the remaining 1/3 GPM will automatically go to Zone 3.
Figure 4 - Systems is balanced but flow exceeds design flow of 500 GPM to each circuit.

Step 5. At this point your system is proportionately balanced but you still have excess flow so you must
throttle the triple duty valve at the pump discharge to reduce flow to the desired 1500 GPM.

Step 6. Having throttled the pump down to 1500 GPM we have confined the excess head in our system to
the triple duty valve. With the system running wide open, measure the pressure drop across this valve.
This tells us exactly how must surplus we have in the system. In this case it is 16 feet of head.

Figure 5 - System with pump throttled to absorb the excess 16 feet of head.
Step 7. Trim the pump impeller or add/adjust a variable speed pump drive to slow the pump down and
thus remove the extra 16 feet of head.

Figure 6 - After trimming the impeller (or implementing variable speed pump controls) the system is now proportionately balanced and efficiency maximized.

Note that we are now back to 54 ft. of head, which is exactly what we needed, and the valve at our most
critical zone is completely open. All zones are proportionately balanced and weve actually dropped our
brake horsepower (bhp) to 25 which is a vast improvement over the 36 bhp we started out with. Thats
significant when it comes to energy savings and its reflective of the kind of energy savings that comes
from proportionately balancing the system and making the necessary pump adjustments.

The end result is a system is vastly more efficient and youve met an important requirement of ASHRAE
90.1!

Hydronic Balancing Part 9: Why Cant Circuit Setters Be Pre-Set for Proportional Balance?
In our last blog we covered (in detail!) the step-by-step process of proportionately
balancing a hydronic system. But many of you may be wondering if all that legwork is
truly necessary when theoretically the engineer has all of the information needed to tell the
installing contractor exactly where to set those circuit setters to achieve proportional flow.
After all, its easy enough for the engineer to determine the pressure drop through each
circuit by using the System Syzer and come up with the correct setting for the circuit setter
so the flow is automatically balanced and the last circuit setter is wide open. We discussed
how to use the System Syzer in Part 3 of this hydronic balancing series.

So is the balancing process described in Part 8 really necessary in a system set up for
manual balancing with circuit setters? The unfortunate truth is yes, it is.

Heres why: Systems rarely get installed exactly as they were drawn on the plans, and any
calculations the engineers perform in advance are based on specific equipment, specific
lengths of pipe, specific numbers of elbows, etc. as show on the plans. If any of these
change (and they always do) the pressure drop and flow to the individual circuits changes
also. Therefore there truly is no way to guarantee a proportionately balanced system
without the hands-on method described in the previous blog.

How can an owner or general contractor be certain the mechanical contractor has done his
or her due diligence by systematically balancing each zone? Ask to see the critical circuit
and then verify that the circuit setter at that location is wide open. If it isnt, then the
system isnt proportionately balanced for maximum energy efficiency and it does not
meet ASHRAE 90.1 which states: Hydronic systems shall be proportionately balanced in a
manner to first minimize throttling losses; then the pump impeller shall be trimmed or
pump speed shall be adjusted to meet design flow conditions.

Hydronic Balancing Part 10: Proportionate Balancing with Flow Limiter

Flow limiting valve, also known as a automatic balancing valve (ABV)

If youve read Parts 1 thru 9 in this Hydronic Balancing Series then you should have a solid understanding
of the fundamentals of balancing. If not go back and review the previous blogs. You need these
fundamentals to understand what we will discuss here in Part 10, which is balancing using automatic
balancing valves (ABVs). If you have read the previous blogs good news this is going to be a
cakewalk!

First, lets be clear what type of device we are talking about when we say ABVs, or as we prefer to call
them, flow limiters.

Flow limiters include a spring-loaded cartridge, which moves back and forth depending on the amount of
differential pressure through the valve. This movement inside the valve changes the size of the orifices
inside the valve, which in turn allows more or less water to pass through. In effect, the valve is
continuously stabilizing the flow based differential pressure. These valves are specified to operate under a
specific differential range, and therefore it is imperative that the system always sees a specific minimum
pressure. Otherwise, there is no movement inside the valve--and no control. That is why we like to refer to
these valves as flow limiters, and not necessarily automatic balancing devices.

The following images and graphs illustrate what occurs inside a flow limiting valve when it is operating
below, within, and above its control range:
Check Your Critical Zone!
Flow limiters are great devices and eliminate most of the work associated with proportionately balancing a
hydronic system. However, that doesnt mean you can install them and assume everything will operate as
planned. As weve said before, piping systems rarely go in exactly as planned. Thats why it is imperative
that you check the flows through each zone, and (most important) confirm that the pressure drop through
the critical zone is no greater than what is required to make the valve operate.

If the pressure drop through the critical zone is significantly beyond the minimum, then either the pump
impeller should be trimmed or variable speed drives should be employed to reduce flow.

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Hydronic Balancing Part 11: Variable Flow Pumping

Throughout our Hydronic Balancing Series, weve been slowly and meticulously making our way to the
more complex control systems that we see today. We walked you through the steps of proportionate
balancing a simple 3-zone system and taught you how to trim an impeller in accordance with ASHRAE
90.1. Today, were going to see what happens when we add variable speed drives to the system.

Some of you may be asking why weve yet to mention pressure independent control valves (PICs) yet.
After all dont PIC valves make all of this a whole lot easier? Absolutely! But its important to
understand the fundamentals of balancing even if you are fortunate enough to be designing a system that
takes full advantage of the latest balancing technology. So bear with us just a little longer.

When we left off in Part 10, we had proportionately balanced our system using circuit setters or flow
limiters, perhaps trimmed our impeller, and were ready to add variable speed pump controls. Now what
happens when we impose differential set point control on a proportionately balanced system?

Back to our example in Figure 1, you can see that weve added the pump controller and we have also
installed a differential pressure sensor across our critical zone. We have determined that this zone requires
20 feet of head to deliver our maximum flow of 500 GPM. Accordingly we have set our differential set
point at 20, so that 500 GPM is always available to the zone whether it needs it or not. Theoretically this
will work fine as long as all of the zones are calling for some flow. But what happens if Zone 3 has no
demand (flow)? Maybe its been shut down for service or is in a wing of the building that is not currently
occupied?

Figure 1

Under these conditions, there would be no flow through Zone 3, making Zone 2 our critical zone at least
for the time being. However, the differential pressure is still set for 20 feet based on the requirements of
Zone 3 even though that zone is currently out of the equation. The pump does what the controller tells it
to do based on the sensor reading at Zone 3 and slows way down. Thats a problem because Zone 2 needs
more than 20 feet. It needs 28 (15+10+3) feet of head to deliver 500 GPM.

There are a couple of ways to fix this. One is to install differential pressure sensors on all three zones and
the pump controller will make sure each zone is satisfied. Its a bit more expensive, but a straightforward
solution and one that we see quite often. Another option is to equalize the pressure drop across all three
zones with the balancing valves and use 25 as your differential pressure setpoint. This also works fine
unless you have nighttime setback.

If the facility has nighttime setback, then problems could occur because of the diversity within the system
and its impact on morning start-up. At morning start-up all of the 2-way valves on the system will
suddenly fully open. In the case of our example, Zone 1 will overflow because it is closer to the pump.
Zone 2 will get less flow than Zone 1 but more than Zone3, and Zone 3 will ultimately be shortchanged
at least until the control system has a chance to respond and the 2-way valves on Zones 1 and 2 begin to
modulate. Under these circumstances, flow limiters on each zone set for the maximum zone design flow
are an option. This can add complexity to the design but it will work.

If this all sounds a bit more complicated than you anticipated, dont despair; just stay tuned for Part 12 on
Pressure Independent Control Valves.

Hydronic Balancing Part 12: Pressure Independent Control Valves

If youve stayed with us throughout this entire Hydronic Balancing Series, youre probably saying to
yourself, Does it really have to be that complicated?

Fortunately, it does not. Designing, installing and balancing hydronic system became infinitely easier
with the introduction of a handy little gadget called a pressure independent control valve or PIC valve.
These valves, which first hit the market nearly two decades ago, have revolutionized hydronic balancing
and are now quite common in newly designed central chilled water systems. (Plenty of older systems
without PIC valves still exist, so keep our previous blogs bookmarked!)

PIC valves are often described as two valves in one, a 2-way valve and a flow limiter. This is true, but it
is the constant differential pressure that a PIC valve maintains across the 2-way valve component that
differentiates it from conventional control with a 2-way valve and flow limiter.

How PIC Valves Work

PIC valves incorporate a spring loaded differential pressure regulator, which constantly adjusts and
compensates for fluctuations in system pressure. This internal element responds to pressure changes by
moving up or down, to maintain a constant flow despite these fluctuations.

PIC valves do not merely limit flow; they keep flow within a specific range. This eliminates underflows
and overflows through the coil and ensures a much more consistent energy transfer.

There are actuated and manual PIC valves. Manual PIC valves have an external dial calibrated in GPM,
which allows users to set the valve to the desired flow. These manual PIC valves are selected solely on
line size and flow rate, eliminating the painstaking Cv calculations necessary for truly accurate balancing
with conventional 2-way valves.
Because PIC valves automatically adjust themselves, they neednt be re-adjusted after a chilled water
expansion or renovation like conventional 2-way valves should be. This is another major advantage to
PIC valves over traditionally balanced systems.

How PIC Valves Save Money

Technology always comes with a price, and certainly PIC are more expensive than 2-way valves and flow
limiters. Some of this cost is offset by the reduction in piping labor. But the real value in PIC valves is in
the lifelong system efficiency that they help ensure.

To fully appreciate this fact, one must consider the constant variances of pressure that occur in a typical
chilled water system and the degree to which those variances impact energy consumption.

The graph below shows the real time pressure fluctuations in an actual chilled water system recorded over
the course of a week.

As you can see, the pressures in a typical chilled water system constantly change. These changes are the
result of variations in cooling load, opening and closing of valves to meet demand, and changes in pump
speed or operation, etc.
Minor changes in pressure result in not-so-minor variances in flow, which translates into significant
increased energy consumption. We know this for a fact because of the flow energy equation:

Q (Energy) = 500 x f x Delta T (in F)

Where,

Q = rate of heat transfer (Btu/hr.)

f= flow rate (gallons per minute or gpm)

Delta T = temperature change (degrees F)

So lets observe what happens when we increase the differential pressure on a 2-way control valve where
the coil is sized for 500 GPM maximum flow:

If we increase the inlet pressure on the coil from 26 to 36 as shown in the example above, we
automatically increase the flow from 280 GPM to 400 GPM. Note that this change is simply the result of
common pressure fluctuations in the system not changes in load. The position of the two-way valve has
not changed. So flow has increased, as has the pressure drop across the across the coil and 2-way valve.
The Delta T, however, has decreased. Were not transferring any more energy at 400 GPM than we were
at 280 GPM.

Thus even a small change in pressure, the kind that happens every day in large systems, has a major
impact on system efficiency. The only way to combat this inefficiency in a conventionally balanced
system is to meticulously select each and valve in the system. This can be a daunting task if you have a
thousand or so valves. Furthermore its a task that probably should be repeated each and every time the
system is expanded or modified.

PIC valves eliminate all of these headaches, as well as the energy losses that come with constantly
fluctuating system pressures!