HVAC systems come in a seemingly infinite number of shapes and sizes. If you walked into a hundred different buildings, you’d see some common themes — but you would likely also encounter a hundred unique system topologies. This complexity is driven by variety across multiple vectors. There are different models of equipment across many equipment classes: boilers, pumps, chillers, fan units, heat exchangers, to name just a few. The buildings themselves are quite unique, from the materials used in the envelope to physical layout and architecture. Best practices in HVAC change over time, and preferences can vary by designer, installer, region and even company.

To add further complexity, building control systems must be able to perform efficiently in any given system configuration and in any environment. Reliability is key to keeping people comfortable and healthy in both hot or cold conditions. As one example, we rely on our heating systems to prevent pipes from freezing and causing damage to our buildings.

At PassiveLogic, we are building our Innovation Center as a test platform to validate our solution across as many possible system configs as we can. The center consists of a large selection of equipment (boilers, pumps, heat pumps, AHUs, etc) and a configuration matrix built out of approximately 300 Belimo characterized control valves — theoretically enabling up to 4.2x10^65 possible system layouts. The configuration matrix allows us to connect any piece of equipment to any other piece in nearly any way we desire. This gives us a controlled environment to test our software and hardware on a countless number of HVAC system topologies. We will test on anything from a simple single zone air or radiant system to more complex topologies like a variable primary chilled water system or a constant volume primary/secondary hot water system… or anything in between and beyond.

The PassiveLogic Hive controller provides a platform to fully leverage more advanced underlying system components. Belimo is excited about the opportunity of using our solution with their Characterized Control Valves (CCV). The CCVs mark a true advancement in control valves. It combines the high close-off capabilities of a ball valve with a specialized disc that ensures an equal percentage flow characteristic. The innovative bubble-tight ball design prevents energy losses and helps reduce operating costs. A rotary actuator operates the valve; the actuators are controlled by a standard voltage for modulating control which moves the ball valve to the position dictated by the control system.

Learn more about our Innovation Center in our last post, The Plumber who Codes. We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how our Innovation Center can help you!