Morton Grove, Illinois, United States: Bell & Gossett (B&G), a brand of water technology provider, Xylem, has announced releasing its Part Load Efficiency Value (PLEV) pump selection criteria, a new standard for the industry, which claims to provide the most accurate and efficient specification of a centrifugal pump at partial flow rates, and designed to save energy and reduce costs. PLEV, the announcement said, helps HVAC system designers select pumps based on real-world system demands to ensure the efficient hydronic system performance.

The announcement explained that PLEV is calculated based on the partial load that a pump will experience throughout its operation. B&G’s ESP-PLUS pump selection and system design software, the announcement said, has been updated with the PLEV selection criteria to assist specifying engineers.

The company highlighted that when PLEV is used in the specification process with newer pump designs that use computational fluid dynamics technology to increase efficiency over a wider range on the performance curve — a range B&G terms Efficiency Islands — system designers can maximise overall system performance.

The operating cost analysis section of ESP-PLUS has been revised to default to PLEV as the standard load profile, giving specifiers instant operational efficiencies, said the company.

PLEV is derived from the successful Integrated Part Load Value (IPLV) performance calculation developed by the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), revealed the company. It added that PLEV is used to calculate equipment efficiency while operating at various capacities in a chiller system.

“PLEV is the answer to the industry’s demand for the most efficient pump selection, by taking into account the entire variation profile and flow requirements based on the actual heating or cooling load in a commercial building HVAC system, not just the design model,” said Mark Handzel, Vice President Product Regulatory Affairs and Director, HVAC Commercial Buildings, Americas, Xylem. “This formula will enable professionals to more precisely specify the appropriate pump for the application, helping to reduce both energy use and operating costs throughout the lifetime of the product.”

The company informed that the free PLEV application is available online through the Xylem software ESP-PLUS.