MAKING MODERN LIVING POSSIBLE

Technical paper
Auto tuning and motor protection as part of
the pre-setting procedure in a heating system
Herman Boysen, Product Application Manager, Danfoss A/S
Published in News from DBDH 3/2000 (www.dbdh.dk)

districtenergy.danfoss.com
TECHNICAL PAPER
Auto tuning and motor protection as
a part of the pre -setting procedure
in a heating system

Autotuning: Adaptive setting of a domestic hot water service controller. Author(s)

Motor protection: Automatic setting of a controller during
low performance.
A precondition for a well functioning heating system is that the correct
settings are made before it is put to use. Adjustments are necessary to
preset the regulating parameters. This article deals with the way in which
the automatic setting of system control parameters is performed and the
advantages this gives.
Herman Boysen,
Product Application Manager, Danfoss A/S
Danfoss District Energy, Nordborg, Denmark,
+45 7488 4123 · [email protected]

Why pre-set a heating system? • Long operating life • Lack of instruction in setting
• Minimum service • No money has been allocated for
Pre-setting gives the following benefits: pre-setting
Experience shows that the necessary
• A high degree of comfort • No agreement has been made on
settings are often not made or that they
• Improved protection against lime system pre-setting
are inadequate. The reasons can be as
deposits in domestic hot water heat
follows: The consequence is that the system will
exchangers
• Ignorance of the importance of not function as intended.
• Energy saving
pre-setting

ESM-10 ECL 300 ESM-10

EEM-I
Outdoor Room
sensor sensor

T11
DH supply

AMV 30
ESM- ESM-
HW
VM2 M2
Hot water AMV 20 Heating system
service system HWC
CW
ESM-
VM2
AVP
DH supply
EEM-Q

FIGURE 1: Typical consumer substation in a district heating installation with a heating system and domestic hot water system

2 Danfoss District Energy

Technical Paper Auto tuning and motor protection…

Setting a consumer
substation in a district 100
heating installation 90

A district heating substation in a large 80

supply installation usually consists of
70
a room heating system and a domestic

T [°C]/Flow [m3/h*10
hot water system (fig.1). Such stations 60
are often equipped with electronic
50
regulators. Pre-setting includes setting
the regulating parameters for both the 40
heating and domestic hot water
30
systems.
The heating system is of course not 20
particularly dynamic, in that load 10
changes are usually a result of changes
in the outdoor temperature and 0
periodic reductions in the heat output. 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
This is a form of operation that does not Time [s]
impose very high demands on the
regulator in order to maintain constant FIGURE 2: Simulation of typical test in accordance with the recommendations of
flow temperature in the heating system. the Finnish District Heating Society/1/
Here, the regulator factory settings,
based on calculations and experience,
are often sufficient to make further
adjustments unnecessary. Settings
100
of this type are not dealt with in
this article. T11 80
The opposite is true with the domestic T12
hot water system. In this case the load T21 60
changes concurrently with the
T22
consumption of hot water. Short but 40
considerable load changes are frequent
and the demand for high regulating 20
accuracy and domestic hot water 0 5 10 15
temperature stability is high. Time [min]

For several reasons, flow systems such 300

as the one shown in fig. 1 have won
approval in district heating systems that
incorporate domestic hot water m1 200
heating. Experience also shows that it m2
is this type of system that imposes the 100
greatest demands on regulating
equipment and regulator setting
parameters. 0
0 5 10 15
Time [min]
Setting a regulator for
a heating system FIGURE 3: Balancing valves, flow limiters and flow controllers, which can be used
District heating and domestic hot water in district cooling systems to maintain a hydraulic balance.
systems of the type shown in fig.1 are
normally equipped with PI regulators.
To ensure a regulated temperature of
satisfactory quality the various
parameters of the regulator
must be set.

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Technical Paper Auto tuning and motor protection…

100

T11

Temperature [°C]
T12
T21 50
T22

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Time [min]

100
Flow rate [l/h]

m1
50
m2

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Time [min]

FIGURE 4: Differential pressure control and flow limitation of a heat exchanger system in a district-cooling network.

The settings involved are as follows: time and the valve stroke. The output domestic hot water temperature
• Neutral zone Nz signal of the regulator is adjusted involve:
• Proportional band Xp accordingly. 1. Set temperature recovery
• Integration time Tn Setting these parameters requires good 2. Temperature stability
• Motor constant Tv knowledge of the heating system 3. Max. temperature variation on load
The proportional band setting (Xp) parameters and of the regulator, which change
affects the extent to which the has to be set. If the technician 4. Recovery time after a temperature
regulator reacts to a temperature concerned has little experience of variation on load change.
variation. A small Xp gives high making such settings, it can be a very In its requirements and instructions for
amplification and fast reaction to time-consuming process. Among the the installation of district heating
a given temperature variation, but parameters of significance to pre- consumer stations, the Finnish District
carries with it the risk of unstable -setting are the following: Heating Society /1/ gives
temperature. A large Xp gives low • System operating temperatures recommendations on the regulating
amplification and only slight reaction • System load variations accuracy of temperature in domestic
to temperature variation, which means • Valve motor speed hot water systems.
sluggish regulation with high • Motorised valve characteristic Table 1 shows the requirements
temperature variations when the • Heating system time constant contained in the recommendations on
load changes. • Differential pressure across the the regulating accuracy of temperature
The integration time (Tn) affects motorised valve in domestic hot water systems issued by
recovery of the set temperature. A short the Finnish District Heating Society /1/.
integration time gives fast recovery, but What are the demands The requirements in table 1 relate to
a risk of instability. A long integration domestic hot water temperature
on domestic hot water
time gives stable regulated accuracy in connection with load
temperature, but long recovery time. temperature regulation?
change and constant operation.
Setting the valve motor constant (Tv) The demands most often made in The requirements are as follows:
takes account of the motor running connection with the regulation of

4 Danfoss District Energy

Technical Paper Auto tuning and motor protection…

TABLE 1: Recommendations on the regulating accuracy of temperature in domestic hot water systems.

1. Max. constant temperature variation The test parameters shown in the characteristic is very steep. The
from set point after a temperature simulation, fig. 3, and the tests, consequence is high amplification. /2/,
change, +/− 2 K. fig. 4 and fig. 5 are: /3/, /4/.
2. Max. permanent temperature • T11 District heating flow The hunting during no-load operation
hunting, +/− 2 K. • T12 District heating return shown in fig. 2 is seen very often in
3. Max. temperature deviation during • T21 Domestic cold water temperature domestic hot water systems. Hunting
operation, 10 K. • T22 Domestic hot water temperature imposes high demands on the quality
4. Recovery time after a temperature • m1 District heating flow of the motor and regulator; the motor
change, < +/− 2 K within 120 seconds. • m2 Domestic hot water is cut in and out very frequently and is
flow circulation of domestic hot thus subjected to much wear.
Testing the domestic water in the system. If the regulator is equipped with output
hot water system Temperature stability, recovery relays the frequent switching has
capability and settling time show no a significant effect on the life of the
To test these parameters it is necessary particular problems during testing regulator. If regulators with triac output
to run a tapping programme in which under the given conditions. are used, this form of operation does
the system is loaded in steps of 25% up not load the regulator in the same way.
However, it can be seen that the
to 100% load and then down again to
deviation in domestic hot water
0%. During 0% load the test is run with
temperature exceeds the Auto tuning
a consumption corresponding to the
recommended max. 10 K from the
circulation of domestic hot water in the From the above explanation of the
setting. Furthermore, there are
system. effect of regulating parameters on
problems with temperature stability
A typical example of this procedure is during no-load operation where the temperature regulation it can be seen
shown in fig. 3. The problems in load corresponds to the heat loss that there is a contradiction between
fulfilling the requirements of the in the circulation lines. the settings that improve stability and
recommendations can be seen in the those that reduce deviations.
During no-load conditions, the
changes of flow from 0%-25% Smaller regulation deviations require
motorised valve operates with a very
and from 25%-0%. a smaller Xp setting. This increases the
small degree of opening and the valve

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Technical Paper Auto tuning and motor protection…

risk of hunting, and hunting during 1. Loading the system with a constant Conclusion
no-load operation becomes amplified. tapping flow corresponding to the
A larger Xp setting gives rise to greater simultaneous opening of several taps. The introduction of automatic setting
deviations in the domestic hot water 2. Activation of auto tuning on the of regulation parameters on the
temperature during load changes. regulator. regulator itself, i.e. auto tuning and
In contrast, the domestic hot water 3. Waiting 7-15 minutes until auto motor protection, gives optimum
temperature during no-load operation tuning has been completed. regulation of the domestic hot water
becomes more stable. system. This ensures a high degree of
Fig. 3 shows a test in which auto tuning
comfort, stable regulation during
The conclusion must be that there has been initiated. The test shows
no-load operation and, subsequently,
ought to be different regulator settings, where the regulation of domestic hot
longer motor life. The setting of
depending on whether the system water goes from an unstable to a stable
regulator parameters can thus be
operates while hot water is being situation when the regulator setting
reduced to one simple and reliable
consumed or whether it is operating parameters are being changed. In this
procedure. Auto tuning is especially
under no load. light, the settings thus arrived at will be
necessary in domestic hot water
Experience with the operation of the optimum.
systems.
domestic hot water systems, tests in The setting of motor protection occurs
Parameter setting for heating
laboratories and dynamic computer automatically during system operation.
systems is not as critical, although in
simulations have led to the Figure 4 shows a test result from such systems motor protection in the
development of an automatic setting a no-load operation situation. regulator can be relevant.
function that is able to satisfy Regulation becomes stable after
bothconditions: a setting function (auto a relatively short time, which is what
tuning) for automatically setting Xp and happens when regulator settings are
the motor constant in a consumption changed automatically.
situation and a function (motor
In addition, after about 19 minutes of
protection) that changes setting
operation a further tapping period of
parameters during no-loadoperation.
approximately 6 minutes takes place
In this way stable operation is ensured.
and the regulator settings are changed
Patents have been applied for both
automatically to the values set for auto
functions.
tuning. After final tapping, the regulator
The setting of the regulator for again performs a parameter change
a domestic hot water system with so that once again the temperature
auto tuning is now limited to just becomes stable during no-load
the following: operation.

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Technical Paper Auto tuning and motor protection…

References [1] Finnish District Heating Society: District Heating in Buildings, Requirements
and Instructions, K1/1992.
[2] Benonysson, A., Boysen H.: Optimum Control of Heat Exchangers.
5th International Symposium on Automation of District Heating Systems,
Finland, August 1995.
[3] Benonysson A., Boysen H.: Valve characteristics for motorised valves in district
heating substations, Euroheat & Power Fernwärme International 7-8/99.
[4] Boysen H.: District heating house substation and selection of regulating valves,
Danish Board of District Heating News from DBDH Journal number 2/1999.

More articles [1] Valve characteristics for motorized valves in district heating substations,
by Atli Benonysson and Herman Boysen
[2] Optimum control of heat exchangers, by Atli Benonysson and Herman Boysen
[3] Differential pressure controllers as a tool for optimization of heating systems,
by Herman Boysen
[4] District heating house substations and selection of regulating valves,
by Herman Boysen
[5] kv: What, Why, How, Whence?, By Herman Boysen
[6] Pilot controlled valve without auxiliary energy for heating and cooling system,
by Martin Hochmuth
[7] Pressure oscillation in district heating installation, by Bjarne Stræde
[8] Dynamic simulation of DH House Stations, by Jan Eric Thorsen

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