The increasing focus on sustainable construction and the tightening of environmental regulation are expected to shift priorities in regional projects towards energy efficiency and a low carbon footprint. This is essentially triggering material innovation in every sub- sector, including valves and hydronic systems. As residential and commercial projects gain momentum, HVAC valve manufacturers are introducing new products and other strategies to strengthen their position as an enabler for easy and fast dynamic balancing of hydronic systems and to help installers manage systems and solve the Low Delta T Syndrome.

Speaking about the market demand and project types driving HVAC valve sales, Arun Nair, Gulf Specification Manager, Conex Banninger – Gulf Business Unit, says that the total market for valves in the region, including industrial and oil and gas applications, is about USD 4 billion per year, while the building services market is about USD 1 billion, with HVAC applications accounting for about 40% of this. “In the UAE, a relatively mature market for District Cooling, we are seeing increasing demand for valves for individual CHW cooling towers in new projects, while retrofit projects in older buildings and existing District Cooling plants are seeing slow but significant growth,” he adds.

While providing a breakdown of project types, Biren Patel, Head – MEA (Middle East, Asia & Australia) region, IMI Hydronic Engineering, says that about 80% of demand for valves for HVAC applications comes from new projects, and 20% of demand comes from building-retrofit projects specifically aimed at enhancing cooling efficiency and energy performance.

Rennie Sequeira, General Manager, DC Serve, explains that with the increasing demand for villas, townhouses and low-cost housing, there has been a decline in use of larger valves in upcoming projects, except for larger infrastructure works, which are few. “Interestingly, with energy saving being the priority for most stakeholders, adoption of dynamic balancing valves for low-rise building and fit-out projects has picked up, which was not the case earlier,” Sequeira says. “Meanwhile, refurbishment and performance improvement of old standalone and District Cooling plants are also on the rise in the UAE. For example, we recently completed a major retrofit of the entire condenser network of an 8,000 RT cooling plant, including the replacement of at least 80 large-size isolation valves.”

In terms of GCC region countries that are driving the demand for District Cooling, post-pandemic, Saudi Arabia, with its large public projects, like townships, hospitals and others – like security and medical complexes – remains the top market, Nair explains.

Nair opines that what has furthered not just valve demand but also material innovation and design has been the continuing focus on making buildings more efficient. “Today, automatic control valves, when correctly installed, make the hydronics design more effective, improving cooling and water retention,” he says. “They also are capable of regulating spills by almost 25-30%, decreasing project energy bills and reducing carbon footprint.”

Biren Patel

Valve manufacturers are also constantly pushing for cutting-edge technologies in the HVAC segment. They are today designed to be more compact and robust, with additional features such as remote monitoring, scalable IoT platforms, and actuators with Bluetooth interface. Sequeira says that these solutions are also collecting valuable data, making real-time decisions and improving performance and efficiencies.

Giving out the several benefits of smart control valves and why their demand is on the rise, Patel explains how IMI developed smart balancing and control valves that offer measuring and connectivity capabilities to offer continuous measurement of key circuit parameters: Flow rate and DT. They power available smartphones and tablets, remotely offering transparent insights on how that part of the system is really operating. “Technologies like smart valves and automatic actuators fulfil measurement and energy monitoring requirements from green certification labels without the need to install additional components such as LEED, BREAM and HQE,” Patel says. “The features of our valves help in balancing and decrease energy consumption by 10-20% while improving indoor comfort and optimising building performance.

The role of efficient valves in optimising building performance is being increasingly recognised by all stakeholders; however, efficient installation remains a concern. Sequeira thinks that any balancing and control valve that provides immediate and substantial system optimisation should be considered instead of a one-solution-fits-all approach. “Considering that variable flow systems are commonly used nowadays, maintaining constant differential pressure in various circuits of the cooling system is paramount in minimising pumping energy costs,” Sequeira says. “In this case, pressure-independent balancing and control valves can prevent coil overflows and ensure stable and accurate room temperature control even at part-load conditions.”

In chilled water systems, both individual and as a part of a District Cooling plant, the failure in efficiently handling, installing and commissioning hydronics systems, even with the best quality equipment, usually compromises the operations of valves and their controls. Sequeira explains: “There is discord in how handling, installation and commissioning of hydronics are performed. There is a need for proactive involvement from all suppliers and installers to ensure manufacturers’ installation guidelines are followed. In practice, even the most sophisticated controls will not always provide efficient control.” In addition to quality standardisation, if best industry practices are strictly followed and valves are handled effectively during installation, there is a strong possibility of longevity and a reduction in overall operating expenditures, he says.

Rennie Sequeira

Even as valves keep evolving, hydronic balancing cannot be completely overlooked. Indeed, common inefficiencies in the current hydronic balancing of HVAC systems can cause much energy wastage and would require a complete revamp to resolve the situation. Sequeira says: “MEP consultants need to enlist expert valves and hydronic partners to help automate, install and commission complete valve solutions. The ownership of carrying out hydronic balancing needs to be transferred to a prequalified hydronic specialist with in-depth knowledge of HVAC controls and system integration with prior experience in system Delta T management.”

Inefficiencies in HVAC systems can cause almost 40% of excess energy usage in buildings, which calls for a hydronic balancing of dynamically changing systems to get more attention. These inefficiencies could translate to recurring unplanned plant shutdowns and lost productivity at District Cooling plants. “Today, technology has provided us with the advantage of deploying advanced balancing and measuring devices that record the measured data and can provide fool-proof commissioning and handing over the guidelines to the operators,” Sequeira says. “Beyond the installation and maintenance game, facility managers should be taken on board to witness the hydronic balancing, as they are the ones to implement any changes in the setpoints once the landlord occupies the facility.”

In Nair’s opinion, the market suffers from miscommunication among manufacturers, designers and installers, which results in inefficiencies and the need for addressing Low Delta T issues. Tackling Low Delta T Syndrome firstly requires efficient installation and then consistent monitoring. Concurring on the importance of quality of work in terms of installation and commissioning, Patel says, “There were several instances where we saw the valves were not pre-set – fully open or calibrated; too much force was used to install the valve, eventually damaging it physically; and wrong adapters were used for actuators.”

To address this, he says, IMI launched smart valves that are pre-calibrated to provide improved accuracy even at Low Delta T. So have many leading manufacturers in the sector. There are no two ways about the benefits that smart valves and remote monitoring offer, hence there has been a quick adoption across the sector, but to achieve a good system Delta T and avoid Low Delta T syndrome, it is widely recommended to ensure proper selection, installation and commissioning of HVAC equipment, such as chillers, pumps, terminal unit coils, valves and controls. “In my experience, in District Cooling and hydronic balancing, I believe there is no particular valve – that is, PIBCV or energy valve – that can guarantee system Delta T on its own,” Sequeira clarifies. “Chilled water system performance and return water temperatures are affected by many other factors connected to the HVAC network.”

Citing DC Serve’s experience retrofitting a five-star hotel, Sequeira explains that such projects are really comprehensive. The five- star hotel project went through several phases, including analysing the cooling system, heat exchanger performance evaluation and rectification, optimisation of pumps operation, retrofitting the system with PIBCVs, retro-commissioning, rebalancing, redefining the control philosophy and all the way to reprogramming the existing BMS and integrating the ETS room with District Cooling PLC.

Despite the advancements in technology and material, the most important piece of the puzzle is contractors, who often compromise on quality in the name of value engineering. Nair says: “Contractors, under the guise of value engineering, are trying to add even more inferior mass to the system, which means that the running costs will be very high in the long run, not to mention the maintenance costs. Settling for technically accepted but cheaper, low-quality valves may reduce your initial costs, but the total operational costs, over time, will be much higher.”

The current global and regional economic situation seem to be putting pressure on HVAC players to compromise on quality. This could mean being flexible on specifications and supplier lists and accepting cheaper options in the market. Needless to say, if stakeholders take such an approach, new-build projects will have to be retrofitted immediately after handover. This costs the builder more than he can potentially save. Patel stresses the need for knowledge-sharing from manufacturers to consultants, and to contractors. He says: “We expect reputable manufacturers to communicate their know-how to planners and builders and to prove the return on investment. Furthermore, a value-added solution approach would justify the choice of high-quality products that clearly offer lower operating costs and optimal energy savings. Overall, all stakeholders benefit both technically and commercially from this perspective.”

Meanwhile, Sequeira sheds light on another challenge that hinders bringing better quality products to the market: “Over time, developers and HVAC companies have developed a very good understanding of how to source equipment and valves at an affordable price that’s nowhere near what a reputable manufacturer with their R&D, production costs, etc., could afford to sell at. This, coupled with mushrooming OEM manufacturers entering the region, hampering the market consideration for better quality valves, has made it challenging for many established manufacturers. I hope that at some point, consultants will insist on third-party testing and certification before accepting a low-quality, low-priced valve brand for a project.”

WHAT TO EXPECT

In the GCC region, Saudi Arabia will remain the top market for HVAC valves by demand, Nair says, adding that he is optimistic that it is going to grow further. The UAE, he says, is not too far behind with medium-size real estate projects; however, the country is witnessing many building efficiency management projects that are driving demand for valves. Looking optimistic about building efficiency projects, Sequeira says: “As a huge percentage of buildings in the region are getting older, there is an opportunity to save energy by retro-commissioning, operational optimisation, and retrofitting the system with smart balancing and control valves. Currently, we are working on operational malls and hotels, where investors have allocated a budget for audits and deep retrofits.

Moving forward, we expect a lot more projects to be retrofitted with energy-efficient solutions and smart valves, in particular. Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, we see a huge demand for large-size static and dynamic valves for new District Cooling plants and buildings connected to District Cooling. However, unlike the UAE, demand for retrofitting is yet to gain impetus in other GCC region countries.”