ACR Journal

October | November 2020 REFRIGERATION 30 Volume 6 No.5 Market requirements The market is moving towards increasingly complex developments (as a result of the race for energy e ciency) that, while keeping the focus on reliability, bring requirements that at a first glance may seem contradictory. · Shorter supply lead times. For this reason, CAREL and other companies operating in this sector have had to adopt a local production solution in order to be closer to the end customer. · Lower product costs. Modularity has made it possible to optimise raw material purchases, thus guaranteeing maximum competitiveness with thermostatic valves. · Extensive product customisation. Each player in our market needs to diƒerentiate from the others in order to sell value to the end customer. The combination of flexibility of the electronic valve and customisation of the control algorithms has made it possible to satisfy this need. Above all the demand for compatibility with new refrigerants, as addressed previously. Even though the strategy regarding green refrigerants tends to be based on the use of flammables or CO2, we periodically receive requests for use with new fluid formulations. In reality, all areas of use are interesting: there is always a way to improve system operation! CO 2 and flammable gases are certainly giving particular impetus to innovative ideas and particular uses of these valves. A lot will depend on the development of new refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Significant international investments devoted to searching for more e cient systems could put us in the position of having to invent new temperature control systems. Future developments In the medium-term, I would expect three types of evolution. The first change will involve the actuators. Continuous experiments on smart materials will lead to the replacement of traditional stepper motor systems with new actuators that incorporate elements that change shape according to an electrical signal. The second change will involve control and measurement. The development of new sensor technologies (above all driven by IoT) and the miniaturisation of electronics will lead to the development of smart objects capable of measuring and acting immediately and independently of the most complex system. The last evolutionary step involves systems that are self-powered and do not require cable communication, but rather send data via wireless signals. This progress will greatly simplify installation and maintenance. CAREL provides a vast portfolio of solutions for flow control, from the simplest to the most complete configuration. When designing valves, CAREL has adopted a modular approach. The common elements are similar, yet by combining them together we can satisfy any customer need. This has allowed us to strengthen our skills in core components, ensuring maximum reliability for each type of construction and faster time to market for new products. CAREL electronic valves stand out for the following pillars: 1. Reliability - each product is tested for one million opening and closing cycles under various operating conditions. 2. High control precision, thanks to the equipercentile flow profile, meaning a variation in flow-rate in proportion to the change in steps. This ensures constant flow control with high precision at low flow-rates and a rapid response at high flow-rates. 3. Hermetic seal of refrigerant flow to prevent damage to the compressor. The complete CAREL solution comprises integration with electronic controllers, probes (temperature, pressure) and a possible backup module to manage power failures. The strength of our system indeed lies in this extensive integration (every product is perfectly integrated into the system) and the intelligence of the algorithm, which harmonises the operation of the components to achieve the performance that the customer demands. For those who still need to replace thermostatic valves with more intelligent systems, we provide various options: A simple parametric controller (EVD mini) connected to the electronic valve and two probes (two temperature or temperature + pressure). Simply power it on, set the three basic parameters and you’re done. A completely sealed version is also available that allows the controller to be installed on the evaporator (EVD ICE). More complex and complete solutions are also possible, using CAREL programmable controllers that have built-in valve drivers.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mzg1Mw==