Intelligent Downstream Devices

Variable Orifice Plate

HVAC Manufacturing & Technology™ has a variety of Intelligent Downstream Devices, many of which use our Variable Orifice Plate technology.

Traditional Variable Air Volume (VAV) boxes have such significant inaccuracies, that the information they provide is all but useless. Often a VAV box cannot help you regulate the air in your facility sufficiently.

Our intelligent downstream devices are the first technology of their kind, offering valuable data to regulate your building automation system.

Typically, orifice plates are used for determining mass flow rates of fluid flow in industrial processes and are available in numerous sizes. The desired accuracy of the fluid velocity measurement dictates the size of the orifice plate. The higher the fluid rate through a given sized orifice, the more accurate the fluid measurement. Our technology allows us to measure the Vena Contractae at low Reynolds numbers accurately simulating multiple variable orifice plates performance simultaneously in one size.

New Patented Technology

The new technology allows any type of a single size flow control device (blade damper, round damper, rectangular damper) to operate as a variable orifice plate at low pressure and measure flows as low as 5 cfm with a single inexpensive transducer with a 500-1 turndown and flow accuracies of 3% (tested on calibrated flows stands). Allowing one size to replace multiple size terminal units and eliminate millions of part numbers.

In addition, the flow accuracy (100x magnification) eliminates the "GiGo" (garbage in garbage out) scenario transpiring on current systems. Currently, zone devices are sending inaccurate flow measurement to the legacy software systems, where in turn inaccurate data is being transmitted to the fans and the compressors, which result in higher energy costs. The flow accuracy eliminates the need for air balancers as the system is now self-commissioning in real time and eliminates the need for costly thermal transfer devices and associated piping in current systems.

The set point temperature in each zone is met with the exact amount of pulses of air to maintain the zone requirements. Thus, reducing the cost of the system and decreasing the time to completion of a building. A contractor can order the same size units, regardless of the zone requirements and install them anywhere in building. Then the controls system operates the units and self-commissions the building in real time. There is no performance penalty for oversizing the units. In fact they work better as they are quieter, use less energy and allow the owner to add additional zones without replacing the units for future expansion and can eliminate re-heat coils.

Valve components are sealed, pressure-tested, and shipped to the job site with a pressure gauge to verify leak-free operation.

To learn more about intelligent downstream devices, contact us.