US 11,340,637 B2Granted

Method, apparatus and system for balancing the fluid pressure of fluid distribution systems

OwnerJohn Faiczakinventor

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Abstract

The present invention is a fluid distribution system comprising connected conduits (e.g., lines) wherein fluid flows, such as pipes within a building. The lines may be configured to: (i) include multiple lines that connect at intersections (some of the intersections will be identified as nodes); and (ii) incorporate node units associated with line pressure loss simulation assemblies (“LLSAs”). Activities of a node unit incorporating a LLSA can result in alterations in fluid pressure, such as by a loop control process to reposition balancing valves or other valves of one or more LLSAs, and/or by alteration of the speed of the system pump. These activities adjust fluid pressure to cause the system to produce a balanced and high efficiency energy transfer (e.g., heating or cooling), and do not involve or require any identification or use of any specific, fixed or absolute pressure value. They function based on an operation locus (for a node unit) and/or an operation locus range (for node unit groupings) to adjust the fluid pressure.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A fluid distribution system comprising:

(a) a pump connected to a pump variable speed drive, and further connected to a conduit;
(b) one or more nodes incorporated in the conduit, each node being a conduit portion itself, each at a specific identified position in the conduit, wherein the conduit portion itself is devoid of a line pressure loss assembly that is positioned between any of the following:
two node units;
a node unit and the pump;
or a node unit and a group node unit, and such position being at any point therebetween so designated including a point devoid of intersections of conduits, said group node unit being associated with a line pressure loss assembly (LLSA) that is operable to generate processed information that is flow target information and a change report that indicates any line pressure loss change required to achieve balance in the fluid distribution system, and further operable to receive from one or more node units flow target information and change reports and to process such flow target information and change reports with the flow target information and change report generated by the group node unit to generate net flow target information and a net change report that the group node unit transmits as flow target information and net change report to one of the one or more node units that is directly upstream of the group node unit;
(c) one or more node units incorporated in the conduit, each of the one or more node units being operable to receive information from other node units and from one or more external sources, and to process the received information to produce processed information for the purpose of determining if balanced flow in the conduit and line pressure loss at the one or more nodes is achieved and to generate adjustments to generate balanced flow and line pressure loss in the fluid distribution system;
(d) a return conduit wherein fluid flows directly to the pump;
and
said fluid distribution system being operable to maintain balance of flow in the conduit and line pressure loss at each of the one or more nodes after initiation of the fluid distribution system to achieve a high efficiency energy transfer within the fluid distribution system devoid of any of the following:
specific absolute flow limit value settings for any pressure value;
specific absolute pump speed settings for any exact pump speed;
and any manual adjustment of any one or more valves of the one or more node units.

9 more elements

A method for generating and maintaining balanced of fluid flow and line pressure loss in a fluid distribution system comprising the steps of:

(a) operating the fluid distribution system configured to incorporate:
(i) a pump connected to a pump variable speed drive, and further connected to a conduit;
(ii) one or more nodes incorporated in the conduit, each node being a conduit portion itself, each at a specific identified position in the conduit, wherein the conduit portion itself is devoid of a line pressure loss assembly that is positioned between any of the following:
two node units;
a node unit and the pump;
or a node unit and a group of node units, and such position being at any point therebetween so designated including a point devoid of intersections of conduits, said group node unit being associated with a line pressure loss assembly (LLSA) generating processed information that is flow target information and a change report that indicates any line pressure loss change required to achieve balance in the fluid distribution system, and further receiving from one or more node units flow target information and change reports and processing such flow target information and change reports with the flow target information and change report generated by the group node unit and thereby generating net flow target information and a net change report that the group node unit transmits as flow target information and net change report to one of the one or more node units that is directly upstream of the group node unit;
(iii) one or more node units incorporated in the conduit;
(iv) an electronic communications network (ECN) connecting each of the one or more node units to the one node unit that is directly upstream and to any one or more of the one or more node units that are directly downstream;
and
(v) a return conduit;
and
(b) each of the one or more node units:
receiving information from other node units and from one or more external sources;
processing the received information to produce processed information for the purpose of determining if balanced flow in the conduit and line pressure loss at the one or more nodes is achieved;
generating system adjustments to create balanced flow and line pressure loss in the fluid distribution system;
and transmitting the processed information to one of the one or more node units that is upstream or to the pump variable speed drive via the ECN;
and
(c) each of the one or more node units and the pump operating after initiation of the fluid distribution system to achieve a high efficiency energy transfer devoid of any of the following:
specific absolute flow limit value settings for any pressure value;
specific absolute pump speed settings for any exact pump speed;
and any manual adjustment of any one or more valves of the one or more node units.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/363,636Filed 29 Nov 2016
Priority: CA CA 294611721 Oct 2016
Published: US 2018/0113481 A126 Apr 2018
Granted: 24 May 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

G05D 7/0676
Characterised by the type of regulator means: by action on flow sources
F24D 19/1015
For central heating: using a valve or valves
G05D 7/0664
Using a plurality of throttling means: the plurality of throttling means being arranged for the control of a plurality of diverging flows from a…
G05D 7/0688
Characterised by the type of regulator means: by combined action on throttling means and flow sources