Siemens has improved its intelligent self-optimising and dynamic valve to increase the flexibility and efficiency of HVAC plants. It will integrate directly into building management systems.
 
The valve has become more versatile thanks to features and applications for heating groups and air handling units. The device controls the flow, measures temperature and output, and automatically adjusts the valve settings to the heat exchanger.
 
The intelligent valve is connected to the cloud and now, for the first time, directly integrated into Building Operator, the Siemens cloud application for the remote monitoring of buildings. This makes it possible to control the valve and adjust its settings anytime and anywhere.
 
For increased flexibility, the range has been expanded to include three-port valves, which allow variable-temperature and constant-flow control of the water supply (mixed circuits). New features such as delta-T (DT) limitation control, differential pressure and flow temperature control help ensure smooth and energy-efficient HVAC plant operation and let the valve be used in more applications.
 
The valve can be commissioned automatically, quickly and safely. The required settings can be downloaded into the Siemens ABT Go app and from there to each valve via wireless LAN.
 
It offers remote access via Bacnet-IP using the Siemens ABT Site commissioning tool or via the internet using the Building Operator app. Thanks to its cloud connection and firmware updates, the valve can automatically update itself when needed, ensuring its running on the latest version at all times.
 
If the valve registers irregular values, an alarm is triggered in the Building Operator app. In addition, this cloud app allows users to check the values and create energy reports for documentation purposes.
 
Functionality and usability enhancements make the valve more efficient. As a three-port valve, it can now be used in mixed circuits, which offer hydronic balancing and require only a little investment due to the absence of a main pump in the source circuit.
 
A differential pressure control counteracts pressure fluctuations in zones. In older plants, this allows dynamic hydronic balancing to be upgraded quickly and easily without having to replace all the valves, thus expanding the application scope of the valve.
 
In new plants, the zones equipped with differential pressure control provide optimised operating conditions for the valves.
 
Using added flow temperature controls and weather-compensated heating circuits, the valve performs automation level tasks and reduces the load on or even eliminates the need for comfort controllers. By reducing the load on comfort controllers, it allows more complex plants to be installed at lower investment costs. In situations where comfort controllers are replaced altogether, the valve can perform simple control tasks.
 
Spacers for the valve ensure improved insulation, for instance, for the flow sensor in cooling applications. The DT limitation control, which is primarily suited for air conditioning units and large fan coil units, increases efficiency. This feature limits the temperature difference DT across the cooling coil controlled by the valve. As a result, the chiller or the heating pump always operates above the defined DT design, increasing efficiency and saving electrical energy.