Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)

Provide accurate flow information to maintain proper design flow throughout the cooling tower and provide adequate system cooling.

Convert flow rate and supply—and convert temperature into British thermal unit (BTU) or tonnage (TONN) usage—to show operators when a chiller load reaches 40% or lower, indicating it is time to stage down a chiller. When a load reaches 80% or higher, it is time to turn on another chiller to reduce system load.

Measure the energy consumed within the heating liquid solution and hot water usage for billing purposes.

Determine the volume of water consumption and detect leaks in the automatic cold-water make-up assembly by taking accurate low-flow measurements.

Measure flow rate and temperature to maintain peak performance in condenser water systems.

Ensure good quality boiler supply water and remove low-quality boiler water by measuring boiler feed/blowdown and condensate return flow on a volumetric basis.

Monitor and measure water and/or energy to improve inefficiencies and address cost allocation/sub-metering needs.

Proportionally balance chilled and hot water systems in a way that minimizes throttle loss and meets design flow conditions. Flow meters must provide accurate flow data so the balancing contractor can cross-check the system.

Precisely determine steam delivery within heating systems. As the cost of energy rises, facilities look to increase efficiency within energy and power generation. Flow instrumentation helps measure the steam to provide accurate data.

Report the volume of water consumption to aid in leak detection and evaporation measurement within the saturated steam system, which can cause significant malfunctions.

Maintain proper design flow and provide sufficient system cooling by calculating rates for evaporation, cycles of concentration and cooling water chemical treatment rates.

Measurement is needed for precise staging of chillers. Flow meters must be able to convert flow rate and supply and return temperature into Btu or TONN usage so operators know what the chiller load is. When a chiller reaches a certain load, operators can bring additional chillers online to keep their systems running efficiently.

Determine heat energy within central heating (or cooling) systems, including both glycol and water solutions. Flow meters must be designed to measure energy consumed within the liquid solutions to measure usage for billing purposes.

Measure the volume of water consumed within a system in order to detect leaks in the geothermal system. Flow meters must provide accurate flow information from make-up water lines to calculate the rate of leakage and evaporation.