Case
dp for Flowcontrolled Pumps
The Situation
An uncontrolled pump will typically work at maximum output 24/7 to secure the pressure to circulate water under various conditions. This means that the energy consumption for running the pump is higher than is actually needed. The whole idea behind electronic controlled pumps is to match the current output of the pump to the current conditions.
The Grundfos Solution
An E-pump only generates the pressure required to circulate the water. In situations where the external temperature goes up, then the demand for heat in a building goes down. The E-pump will then reduce its speed to meet the required need, and thereby reduce the energy consumed by the pump as the speed of the pump is the most important factor with regards to energy saving. Besides this, other benefits such as enhanced comfort, less noise from the pump and pipework and longer life of the system are all also achieved.
As the idea behind an E-pump is to adjust the speed of the pump to match the current need, the pump needs to get feedback from a sensor concerning the condition of the system. For example if we set a pump at a predetermined pressure, the sensor will feed the true status of the system back into the pump and thereby vary the speed, to keep the constant pressure. The most common type for use with circulating pumps is differential pressure sensors, due to their reliability and cost-performance. Incorporation of differential pressure sensors in the pump systems reduces the energy consumption considerably and increases pump performance.
The TPE2000 family can be used within for various applications. Depending on the application and pump type savings, of up to 60%+ are attainable.
The Outcome
The demand for E-pumps is growing rapidly at the moment, due to their energy saving ability, and the need for sensors has increased with it. With Grundfos Direct Sensors™ we will in the future not only be able to control the differential pressure generated in the system. Combi-sensors will be able to measure more parameters in the water simultaneously. For example in hot-water circulating system, where a certain temperature is required for user comfort, the pump is constantly informed by different inputs and will speed up the pump, if for example the temperature decreases.