Hydronic Balancing - A Necessity For Good Control

Hydronic balancing 1
Hydronic balancing - a necessity for good control

Introduction
In theory, modern HVAC systems can satisfy the most demanding requirements for indoor climate and
operating costs. In practice, however, not even the most sophisticated controllers always perform as
promised. As a result, comfort is compromised and operational costs are higher than expected.
This is often because the mechanical design of the HVAC plant does not meet some conditions necessary
for stable and accurate control. Three important conditions are:
1. The design flow must be available at all terminals.
2. The differential pressures across the control valves must not vary too much.
3. Flows must be compatible at system interfaces.
This article discusses in brief the first of these conditions - problems resulting from violation of condition 1,
why the problems occur and how to prevent them at the design stage.
Common problems
These problems are typical indications that condition number one (i.e. that the design flow is not available
at each terminal) is not met:
- Higher than expected energy costs.
- Installed power is not deliverable at intermediate and/or high load.
- Too hot in some parts of the building, too cold in other parts.
- Long delay before the desired room temperatures are obtained when starting up after night setback.
Obtaining the correct flows

The power transmitted by a terminal unit depends on the supply water temperature and the water flow.
These parameters are controlled to obtain the required room temperatures. Control is only possible if the
required water flows are available.
Some people, however, seem to think that it is sufficient to indicate design flows on the drawings in order
to obtain them in the pipes. But to obtain the required flows, they must be measured and adjusted. This is
why specialists are convinced that hydronic balancing is essential. The discussion is limited to the question:
how to do it? Is it, for instance, possible to obtain a correct flow distribution by sizing the plant carefully?
The answer, in theory, is yes. But in practice it's just a dream.
Production units, pipes, pumps and terminals are designed to cover the maximum needs (unless the plant
is calculated with a diversity factor). If a link of the chain is not properly sized, the others will not perform
optimally. As a result, the desired indoor climate will not be obtained and the comfort will be compromised.
One might think that designing the plant with some security factors would prevent most problems.
However, even if some problems are solved that way, others are created, particularly on the control side.
Some oversizing cannot be avoided, because components must be selected from existing commercial
ranges. These generally do not fit the calculations made. Moreover, at design stage, the characteristics of
some components are not known since they will be selected by the contractor at a later stage. It is then
necessary to make some corrections taking also into account the real installation which frequently differs
somewhat from the initial design.
Hydronic balancing enables the required flows to be obtained in the actual installation, compensates for
oversizing and justifies the investments made
Distribution systems with constant flow

In a distribution system with constant flow (Figure 1a), the three-way valve is calculated to create a
pressure drop at least equal to the design pressure drop in the coil _C". This means a control valve authority
of at least 0.5, which is essential for good control. If the pressure drop in the coil plus the pressure drop of
the control valve is 20 kPa and the available differential pressure H is 80 kPa, then the difference of 60
kPa must be taken away by the balancing valve STAD1. If not, this circuit will experience an overflow of
200%, making control difficult and disturbing the rest of the plant.
In figure 1b, the balancing valve STAD2 is essential. Without it, the bypass AB will be a short circuit with
an extreme overflow, creating underflows elsewhere in the plant. With STAD2, the primary flow qp is
measured and adjusted to be a somewhat higher than the secondary design flow qs measured and adjusted
with STAD3. If qs > qp, the water flow reverses in the bypass AB, creating a mixing point on A. The
supply water temperature will increase in cooling and decrease in heating and the design power will not be
obtainable on the terminal units
A
H
qp
qp
qs
BPV
STAD-1
STAD-2
STAD-3
Fig 1. Examples of circuits in constant flow distribution systems.
Balancing ensures correct flow distribution, prevents operational problems and lets controllers really
control.
Distribution system with variable flow

In a distribution system with variable flow, underflow problems occur essentially at high loads.
Chiller1
Terminal unit
Charge
Chiller 2
80%
Fig 2. Example of a variable flow distribution system.
At first glance, there appears to be no reason to balance a system with two-way control valves on the
terminals, since the control valves are designed to modulate the flow to the required level. Hydronic
balancing should therefore be obtained automatically. However, even after careful calculations, you find
that control valves with exactly the required Kvs are not available on the market. Consequently, most
control valves are oversized. Total opening of the control valves cannot be avoided in many situations, such
as during start up, when big disturbances occur, when some thermostats are set at minimum or maximum
value or when some coils have been undersized. In these cases and when balancing valves are not in place,
overflows will result in some circuits. This will create underflow in other circuits.
Using a variable speed pump will not solve this problem since all the flows will change proportionally
when the pump head is modified. Attempting to avoid overflows this way will simply make the underflows
more significant.
The entire plant is designed to provide its maximum power at maximum load. It is then essential that this
maximum power is available when required. Hydronic balancing, made in design conditions, guarantees
that all terminals can receive their required flow, thus justifying the investments made. At partial loads,
when some control valves close, the available differential pressures on the circuits can only increase. If
underflows are avoided in design conditions, they will not occur in other conditions.
Morning start up
In distribution systems with variable flows, morning start-up after each nigh time setback is a serious
consideration since most control valves are driven fully open. This creates overflows which produce
unpredictable pressure drops in some of the piping network, starving the terminals in the less favoured
sections of the system. The unfavoured circuit will not receive adequate flow until the favoured spaces have
reached thermostat set point (if these set points have been reasonably chosen), allowing their control valves
to begin to throttle. Start up is therefore difficult and takes a longer time than expected. This is costly in
terms of energy consumption. A non uniform start-up makes management by a central controller and any
form of optimisation practically impossible.
Room temperatures
Occupancy point
Favoured circuits
it
cu
cir
d
re
ou
fav
n
U
-4
Plant balanced
-2
Time in hours
Extra start up time
Fig 3. An unbalanced plant has to start up earlier, increasing the energy consumption.
In a distribution system with constant flow, underflows and overflows remain both during and after start up,
making the problem much more difficult.
The tools required for balancing

To balance a plant, the required tools must meet these conditions:
The flow must be measurable with an accuracy of around 5%. The balancing procedure makes it
possible to check if the plant works as designed, to detect faults and to decide upon measures to correct
them.
The flow must be easy to adjust, thus making the plant flexible.
The balancing device must guarantee a long term reliability. It must be resistant to aggressive water.
During flushing, the balancing devices should not have to be removed and should not require the use of
special filters.
The setting position must be easy to read and be protected by a hidden memory. Full throttling range
should require at least four full turns of the handwheel to enable sufficient resolution of the setting.
A balanced cone should be available for big sizes to reduce the torque required to set the valve against
high differential pressures.
A shut-off function must be included in the balancing valve.
A measuring instrument must be available, so that flows can be measured easily, without having to use
diagrams. The instrument should incorporate a simple balancing procedure and the possibility to print a
balancing report. The instrument also enable the evolution of flows, differential pressures and
temperatures to be registered for diagnostic purposes.
Balancing made simple

Hydronic balancing provides the opportunity to verify that the installation is correctly executed. It enables
detection and subsequent correction of most malfunctions ( air, clogging, filters, hydronic faults...).
Using the TA Balance method is the easiest way to balance a plant. TA Balance is a computer
programme based on the compensated method. TA Balance is incorporated into the balancing instrument
CBI. After some measurements in the plant, TA Balance calculates the correct settings for the balancing
valves. The main advantage of this method is that one man, working alone, can balance an entire plant using
only one balancing instrument.
As in all other balancing procedures, the plant must be divided in modules.

One module is formed by several circuits connected to the same supply and return pipes. Each circuit has
its own balancing valve. Each module has a common balancing valve called the partner valve ( Fig 4).
module
Partner valve
Fig 4. Balancing module.
The CBI detects the index circuit (the circuit that requires the highest differential pressure) and allocates a
pressure drop of 3 kPa for the balancing valve of this circuit ( the minimum pressure drop required for
reliable flow measurements). The settings of the other balancing valves are determined to obtain a relative
balancing of the elements within the module. The settings do not depend on the actual available pump head
or on the setting of other balancing valves in the plant. The determined values are set and locked.
When all modules have been individually balanced, the modules are then balanced in relation to one
another using the same procedure. At this stage, the settings of the partner valves are determined.
Finally, the total design flow is adjusted with the main balancing valve. All overpressure is taken and
measured in this valve. This overpressure is sometimes so high that a smaller pump can be installed to
reduce pumping costs.
When this operation is completed, design flows are available at all terminals. A computer printout
provides a list of settings, differential pressures and water flows for each balancing valve.
Conclusion
The objective of any HVAC plant is to provide a comfortable indoor climate while minimising costs and
operating problems.
In theory, modern control technology makes this objective obtainable. In practice however, not even the
most sophisticated controllers always perform as promised. The reason is often that the conditions
necessary for their proper operation are not fulfilled.
The whole plant is designed for maximum load. If full load cannot be obtained because some terminals
are in underflow, the comfort is not reached and the investment costs not valorised.
Hydronic balancing prevents overflow in some circuits from causing underflow in others and detects the
degree of pump oversizing. It verifies that the plant works as designed, allowing to reach a comfortable
environment at lower costs.
Reference:
R. Petitjean, Total hydronic balancing. Second edition.

Edition Tour & Andersson Hydronics - 530 pages - 1997

Hydronic Balancing - A Necessity For Good Control

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Hydronic balancing 1

Hydronic balancing - a necessity for good control

Obtaining the correct flows

Distribution systems with constant flow

Fig 1. Examples of circuits in constant flow distribution systems.

Distribution system with variable flow

Fig 2. Example of a variable flow distribution system.

Extra start up time

The tools required for balancing

Balancing made simple

As in all other balancing procedures, the plant must be divided in modules.

Fig 4. Balancing module.

R. Petitjean, Total hydronic balancing. Second edition.

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