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Pressure Independent balancing Control Valves (PICV)

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Danfoss AB-QM family with NovoCon digital IoT actuators

Two- or four-pipe heating and/or cooling systems are characterized by changing conditions due to valves opening and closing depending on the need for heating or cooling. This continuously causes flow and differential pressure changes.

Without proper measurements, such systems suffer from uneven heat distribution, poor energy inefficiency and are very difficult to commission.

To avoid these issues Pressure Independent balancing and Control Valves (PICV) provide the best and simplest solution.

By adding an actuator, the valves function as flow-limited control valves, automatically balancing the system and providing the best possible indoor comfort and energy efficiency. The commissioning of the system is a lot easier, all valves only need to be set to the design flow before the actuators are mounted.

Danfoss offers a broad range of pressure-independent balancing and control valves and matching actuators.

New interactive eBrochure: AB-QM PICVs and Actuators

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Features and benefits

  • Stable room temperature

    Eliminating the overflow situations at partial load conditions has a significant effect on the stability of the room temperature

  • Improved indoor comfort

    With the stable room temperature, the indoor comfort increases. Required temperatures are accurately met, increasing the productivity of office employees or benefitting the experience of hotel guests.

  • Energy savings

    The perfectly balanced system, under all conditions, increases the energy efficiency and leads to savings on energy costs.

  • Reduced maintenance costs

    As the pressure-independent valves ensure perfect working conditions, the actuators mounted on them require fewer movements to keep the temperature stable. This increases the lifetime value of the actuators and reduces the maintenance costs.

AB-QM 4.0: We created PICVs - now we redefine the value

NEW: AB-QM 4.0

Get ready for the next level value of your PICV designs.

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Tender texts

AB-QM 4.0 – Pressure Independent balancing and Control Valve (PICV)

The pressure independent balancing and control valve means that the control characteristic is independent from the available pressure. The precise flow control performance of the AB-QM 4.0 with a Danfoss actuator provides increased comfort and superior Total Cost of Ownership. The AB-QM 4.0 ensures and control the required flow on every terminal unit and maintains Hydronic balance in the system.

AB-QM 4.0 has following features:

Automatic flow limitation function
Modulating below 1% of set flow, regardless of the setting
Authority of 1 at all settings
Able to close against 16 bar of differential pressure
Polymer (PPSU) components of differential pressure controller and control valve cone
Linear control characteristic
Linear setting
Scale in percentage of flow
Minimum setting is 10%
Setting of flow percentage is visible with actuator mounted
Control ratio 1:1000
Pressure stage PN25
All inner brass parts from DZR (CW602N)
Available in the range from DN 15 – 32 for design flows from 20 – 6,000 l/h from one supplier
Available with external thread acc. ISO 228/1 and internal thread acc. ISO 7/1
Available with test plugs for pump optimization and flow measurements (dpcv)
Flow measurements accuracy according to BS7350:1990
Characteristic can be changed from linear to equal percentage characteristic at all sizes by adjusting actuator settings
Filling and flushing is possible in flow and counter-flow direction
Starting pressure of 16 kPa for DN 15 – DN 20 and 20 kPa for DN 25 – DN 32
Starting pressure of 32 kPa for DN 15 – DN 32 HF versions
Leakage rate of no visible leakage for DN 15 - DN 32 in combination with recommended actuator (IEC 60534-4:2007 Class IV)

AB-QM – Pressure Independent balancing and Control Valve (PICV)

The pressure independent balancing and control valve means that the control characteristic is independent from the available pressure. The precise flow control performance of the AB-QM with a Danfoss actuator provides increased comfort and superior Total Cost of Ownership. The AB-QM ensures and control the required flow on every terminal unit and maintains Hydronic balance in the system.

AB-QM has following features:

Flow limitation function
Modulating below 1% of set flow, regardless of the setting
Authority of 1 at all settings
Able to close against 16 bar of differential pressure
Linear control characteristic
Scale in percentage of flow
Control ratio 1:1000
Test plugs for pump optimization and flow verification for DN 10-250
Available in the range from DN 10 – 250 from one supplier.

Characteristic changed from linear to equal percentage characteristic at all sizes by adjusting actuator settings
Lockable setting
Starting pressure of 16 kPa for DN 10 – DN 20
Starting pressure of 20 kPa for DN 25 – DN 32
Starting pressure of 30 kPa for DN 40 – DN 250
Leakage rate of no visible leakage for DN 10 - DN 20 in combination with recommended actuator
Leakage of 0.05 % of the Qnom for DN 25 - DN 100 in combination with recommended actuator
Leakage of 0.01 % of the Qnom for DN 125 - DN 250 in combination with recommended actuator

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