Sensors support HVAC system design

A hydronic HVAC system uses water as the primary fluid to transfer energy throughout the building. Water has outstanding heat transfer characteristics; to deliver heat, the system must have a heat source, such as a boiler, and to provide cooling, the system must have a cooling source, such as a chiller or cooling tower.

The heated or cooled water is pumped throughout the building to air handling units or terminal units (or other similar), where it transfers energy with air from the ventilation system before it recirculates to the heating or cooling source. The conditioned air is then delivered to the room.

Controlling the boiler and chiller units is key, and Sensata provides solutions to monitor this process and make it as efficient as possible. It can also provide circuit breakers to protect the equipment from power surges or other extremes that could cause costly damage. Sensata’s circuit breakers provide the high pulse tolerance and long-time trip delay required to protect HVAC systems.

Sensata’s pressure sensors help monitor the pressure of refrigerants as well as other liquid media as they are carried throughout the system. These include its recently launched 116CP series that incorporate a ceramic capacitive pressure sensing technology that makes it suitable for boiler and HVAC applications. Typically used within a boiler’s water loop, the 116CP gives feedback to the control unit which then issues a warning signal to the user when the pressure reaches too high or too low levels, thus preventing equipment leakage or damage.

Sensata’s temperature sensors and switches accurately monitor liquid temperatures. Different parts of an HVAC system can also be turned on/off using Sensata’s switches and relays whose reliability is said to be such that the need for maintenance is significantly reduced.

https://www.sensata.com/sites/default/files/a/sensata-solutions-for-chiller-and-boiler-hvac-systems-app-note.pdf