Device and method for controlling an orifice of a valve in an HVAC system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12535238-B2
Application number	US-202118016758-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2021
Priority date	Aug 4, 2020
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

A method of controlling an orifice of a valve in an HVAC system to regulate a flow of a primary fluid through a primary side of a thermal energy exchanger of the HVAC system and thereby adjust a thermal energy transfer by the thermal energy exchanger from the primary fluid to a secondary fluid, flowing through a secondary side of the thermal energy exchanger, includes adjusting, by one or more electronic circuits, the orifice of the valve by applying an efficiency control algorithm to a control setpoint for the valve, the efficiency control algorithm processing the control setpoint for the valve to maintain energy-efficient thermal energy transfer. The method further includes the one or more electronic circuits determining the control setpoint for the valve, using current performance values of the HVAC system and recorded historical data of the HVAC system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method of controlling an orifice of a valve in an HVAC system to regulate a flow of a primary fluid through a primary side of a thermal energy exchanger of the HVAC system and thereby adjust a thermal energy transfer by the thermal energy exchanger from the primary fluid to a secondary fluid, flowing through a secondary side of the thermal energy exchanger, the method comprising:
adjusting, by one or more electronic circuits, the orifice of the valve by applying an efficiency control algorithm to a control setpoint for the valve, the efficiency control algorithm processing the control setpoint for the valve to maintain energy-efficient thermal energy transfer by avoiding saturation of the primary side of the thermal energy exchanger; wherein the method further comprises the one or more electronic circuits determining the control setpoint for the valve, using current performance values of the HVAC system and recorded historical data of the HVAC system; wherein the current performance values of the HVAC system include at least one of: a current supply temperature of the primary fluid, or a current return temperature of the primary fluid; and wherein the recorded historical data of the HVAC system include for each of a plurality of past points in time, extending from a current time-point into the past, performance values of the HVAC system measured at the respective point in time and the control setpoint of the valve at the respective point in time.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the recorded historical data of the HVAC system comprises for each of the plurality of past points in time the performance values of the HVAC system measured at the respective point in time for the control setpoint of the valve at the respective point in time, and the control setpoint of the valve at the respective point in time.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the one or more electronic circuits implementing a neural network for determining the control setpoint, using the current performance values of the HVAC system and the recorded historical data of the HVAC system.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the one or more electronic circuits generating a performance model of the HVAC system, using the recorded historical data of the HVAC system; and determining the control setpoint for the valve, using the performance model of the HVAC system.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the method comprises the one or more electronic circuits implementing a neural network for generating the performance model of the HVAC system.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the efficiency control algorithm to the control setpoint for the valve comprises the one or more electronic circuits maintaining the control setpoint for the valve unchanged, if the control setpoint leads to operating the thermal energy exchanger in a zone of energy-efficient thermal energy transfer, where an increase in a flow rate of the primary fluid leads to a defined minimum increase in the thermal energy transfer by the thermal energy exchanger, and altering the control setpoint for the valve to decrease the orifice of the valve, if the control setpoint does not lead to operating the thermal energy exchanger in the zone of energy-efficient thermal energy transfer.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the one or more electronic circuits applying the efficiency control algorithm to the control setpoint for the valve by determining a control criterion, using at least one of: a temperature difference between the current supply temperature of the primary fluid and the current return temperature of the primary fluid, or a current flow of the primary fluid; maintaining the control setpoint for the valve unchanged, if the control criterion is at or above an efficiency threshold value, and altering the control setpoint for the valve to decrease the orifice of the valve, if the control criterion is below the efficiency threshold value.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the one or more electronic circuits determining the control setpoint for the valve from an initial setpoint for the valve, the initial setpoint for the valve comprising one of: an initial valve position setpoint, an initial flow setpoint, an initial setpoint for a temperature difference between the current supply temperature of the primary fluid and the current return temperature of the primary fluid, or an initial power setpoint for the valve; and determining the control setpoint for the valve comprises the one or more electronic circuits determining one of: a defined valve position setpoint, a defined flow setpoint, a control setpoint for the temperature difference, a defined power setpoint for the valve.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the recorded historical data of the HVAC system for the respective past points in time, further comprise at least one of: a flow of the secondary fluid, an input temperature of the secondary fluid entering the secondary side of the thermal energy exchanger, an output temperature of the secondary fluid exiting the secondary side of the thermal energy exchanger, electrical power consumption of an HVAC component of the HVAC system, electrical power consumption of the thermal energy exchanger, a pumping speed of a pump driving the primary fluid through the primary side of the thermal energy exchanger, electrical power consumption of the pump, a fan speed of a fan driving the secondary fluid through the secondary side of the thermal energy exchanger, electrical power consumption of the fan, a humidity level of the secondary fluid, or weather data related to an area where the HVAC system is located.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the one or more electronic circuits determining at least one of: a pump set point for a pump driving the primary fluid through the primary side of the thermal energy exchanger, or a fan setpoint for a fan driving the secondary fluid through the secondary side of the thermal energy exchanger, using the current performance values of the HVAC system and the recorded historical data of the HVAC system.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises recording and storing the performance values of the HVAC system in a cloud-based computer system remote from the HVAC system; and determining the control setpoint for the valve at least partially by one or more electronic circuit arranged in the cloud-based computer system.

12 . A control system for controlling an orifice of a valve in an HVAC system to regulate a flow of a primary fluid through a primary side of a thermal energy exchanger of the HVAC system and thereby adjust a thermal energy transfer by the thermal energy exchanger from the primary fluid to a secondary fluid flowing through a secondary side of the thermal energy exchanger, the control system comprising one or more electronic circuits configured to:
adjust the orifice of the valve by applying an efficiency control algorithm to a control setpoint for the valve, the efficiency control algorithm processing the control setpoint for the valve to maintain energy-efficient thermal energy transfer by avoiding saturation of the primary side of the thermal energy exchanger; wherein the one or more electronic circuits are further configured to determine the control setpoint for the valve, using current performance values of the HVAC system and recorded historical data of the HVAC system, wherein the current performance values of the HVAC system include at least one of: a current supply temperature of the primary fluid, or a current return temperatu

Assignees

• Belimo Holding Ag

Inventors

• Mischler Stefan
• Scholz Volkher

Classifications

• F24F2140/60

  Energy consumption · CPC title

• F24F2140/20

  Heat-exchange fluid temperature · CPC title

• F24F2140/00

  Control inputs relating to system states · CPC title

• F24F2110/10

  Temperature · CPC title

• F24F11/84 Primary

  using valves · CPC title