A word on…smart actuators
Martin Lowe of WES Products highlights the crucial role of smart actuators in new and existing buildings.
Engineers and designers of water systems now have available new and exciting opportunities to use wireless and wired smart actuators to improve and develop existing and new systems to maximise energy savings and overcome system challenges – challenges that include the need to recirculate cold water in overheating apartments.
If you are a designer and you are not taking advantage of developing technology and not learning about the application of smart equipment, then artificial intelligence (AI) just might end up doing the job for you.
The use and specification of smart actuators is about a mindset change. A change that involves learning about new products and systems that excel in performance more than the existing current products and systems that have been used and reused for years. Often the lack of time and commitment investing and understanding new technology such as smart actuators and developing their application slows the adoption of new applications that could provide significant time and energy savings. The development of systems and smart solutions are no longer driven by consultants’ specifications, but are driven by those who have dedicated time to understanding and finding solutions to customers’ problems and putting the effort in to develop new products and systems.
Monitor and improve
Buildings are already benefiting from the application of wireless Bluetooth lighting controls and now the inclusion of wireless valve controllers to the same Bluetooth lighting controls systems. The benefits of introducing smart actuators to firstly monitor and then improve systems are other areas that benefit energy savings. For example, leak detection on construction sites is not achievable with wired systems. Therefore, a dedicated wireless leak prevention and detection with site supervision control would be a good solution.
But which wireless system is best and what wireless standard builds in longevity of the solution as the building develops? Longevity is the ability to carry on using the wireless devices long after the building has been completed and passed on to the building manager.
Deciding on the type of wireless system should be determined by the predominate wireless system that already exists. Building owners and managers don’t want several different wireless systems with different controls and application software, each one requiring access to a specific router or the development of several mesh systems throughout the building installation with its own bespoke control system. Consultants need to ensure that wireless control needs to be of a known protocol that includes wireless lighting and the same wireless standard on all mechanical systems at the very start of the project. This would help focus manufacturers on the wireless standards to be used and the products to be included.
Good NABERS
Smart actuators can really help in achieving the newly introduced NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System), which was introduced in April 2024 after being adopted by CIBSE in the UK. NABERS provides simple, reliable and comparable sustainability measurement you can trust across building sectors like hotels, shopping centres, apartments, offices, data centres and more.
Smart actuators mounted on pressure independent control valves with surface mounted temperature sensors connected to a data logger can help the understanding of the performance of a terminal unit. Checking how the control valve performs at maximum and minimum demand gives useful meaningful information on the water distribution system condition, the units achieving maximum energy performance through different heat and chilled water loads.
The possibility of using smart actuators with BACnet capabilities to provide control of the complete water distribution system could be used as an alternative to the current method of controlling to pressure sensors. A low-risk strategy of incorporation of smart actuators to a terminal device connected to a smart actuator monitor (SAM) allows real data to be collected and analysed allowing small but significant changes to system to save energy.
The goal would be to have smart actuators with temperature measurement to every terminal device linked on their own control system managing pump load, bypass control and pump diversity. Using PIR sensors that are linked to the control of the smart actuators, complete control of return water temperatures, flows and pump speed can easily be determined.
This concept has been titled the ‘Demand Controlled Water Distribution System’ and was taken from a concept used to manage air systems that only ventilate occupied areas that looks at water temperatures and flow and makes the best use of the data to provide maximise energy efficiency.
