{"id":15244,"date":"2021-06-22T08:58:13","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T06:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/?p=15244"},"modified":"2024-03-12T17:53:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-12T16:53:32","slug":"gas-valves-for-condensing-boilers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/industries\/heating\/gas-valves-for-condensing-boilers_15244\/","title":{"rendered":"Gas valves for condensing boilers: The crucial link"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

If there were only one type of gas in the world, life would be much easier for heater manu\u00adfac\u00adturers. They would need to configure their combus\u00adtion system just once to provide the optimum gas and air mixture ratio, after which the condensing boiler would provide heat equally effi\u00adciently in all parts of the world \u2013 leaving aside ambient para\u00adme\u00adters such as temper\u00ada\u00adture or air pres\u00adsure for now.<\/p>\n

However, natural gas is produced by a natural process, and it has a different heating value depending on where it comes from. In the Nether\u00adlands and Germany, for example, L-gas is tradi\u00adtion\u00adally used. Its name reflects the fact that it is low-calorific (L = low). This contrasts with H-gas from Russia, which has a higher methane and thus energy content, making it high-calorific (H = high). Since sources are running dry and the market is changing, there are also new fuels such as lique\u00adfied gas from the USA, as well as synthetic gas or hydrogen from power-to-gas plants. There\u00adfore, finely balanced systems are required to set the optimum combus\u00adtion mixture.<\/p>\n

Fig. 1a: The inter\u00adac\u00adtion between all compo\u00adnents is a deci\u00adsive factor for both elec\u00adtronic and pneu\u00admatic networks. The gas valve plays an impor\u00adtant role here in ensuring the correct combus\u00adtion mixture. (Graphic | ebm-papst)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

\nKey role within the network<\/h2>\n

In prac\u00adtice, pneu\u00admatic combus\u00adtion control has proven its worth in this regard for many years. As a result of fluc\u00adtu\u00ada\u00adtions in gas quality, elec\u00adtronic combus\u00adtion control is gaining in impor\u00adtance as an alter\u00adna\u00adtive. ebm-papst offers both vari\u00adants as a complete solu\u00adtion under the names CleanEco (pneu\u00admatic, Fig. 1a) and Clean\u00adVario (elec\u00adtronic, Fig. 1b).<\/p>\n

Within these systems, the gas valve plays a key role. Firstly, it prevents the gas from flowing out in an uncon\u00adtrolled manner, and secondly, it only allows the exact quan\u00adtity that needs to be mixed with the air to flow through. The impor\u00adtant thing is to ensure a coor\u00addi\u00adnated approach with the blower, venturi, and control unit. That works best when all compo\u00adnents come from a single source. This is why ebm-papst has also included gas valves in its range since 2011 and is contin\u00adu\u00adously expanding and refining the range, such that four power classes (Fig. 2 and 3) in the range 1.5 \u2013 762 kW can now be offered.<\/p>\n

Fig. 1b: The inter\u00adac\u00adtion between all compo\u00adnents is a deci\u00adsive factor for both elec\u00adtronic and pneu\u00admatic networks. The gas valve plays an impor\u00adtant role here in ensuring the correct combus\u00adtion mixture. (Graphic | ebm-papst)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

The classic solu\u00adtion: the D01 valve<\/h2>\n

Mechan\u00adical valves are used in pneu\u00admatic networks. Their oper\u00adating prin\u00adciple is that if the ther\u00admo\u00adstat in the home switches on or if someone turns on the hot water faucet, the boiler starts working. The blower rotates as per the required power, the gas valve is opened, and the taper in the venturi causes a vacuum that draws in the gas. In simple terms, the faster the blower rotates, the more gas is taken in. This must not happen in an uncon\u00adtrolled manner. There\u00adfore, the valve should only open until it allows the exact quan\u00adtity for the combus\u00adtion mixture to pass through.<\/p>\n

How does this work? A look at the inte\u00adrior of valve D01 from ebm-papst provides the answer (Fig. 4). There are two safety valves on the gas inlet side. If one fails, the other can still prevent an uncon\u00adtrolled supply of gas. The safety valves are lifted by way of elec\u00adtro\u00admag\u00adnetic coils and the gas can flow in. The oper\u00adating valve is located on the outlet side, which is connected to the venturi. The vacuum gener\u00adated by the blower exerts a force via a working diaphragm. This force mechan\u00adi\u00adcally lifts the oper\u00adating valve.<\/p>\n

Two adjusting screws can be used to regu\u00adlate the extent of this action: the offset and main flow throttle setting. The offset (shifting the zero point) can be set on the servo controller. The offset pres\u00adsure is always regu\u00adlated to zero, regard\u00adless of the suction pres\u00adsure gener\u00adated by the premixing blower. This also enables pres\u00adsure fluc\u00adtu\u00ada\u00adtions in the supply network to be compen\u00adsated. The throttle element adjusts the quan\u00adtity of gas required based on the gas quality. For example, with L-gas a larger quan\u00adtity flows through than with H-gas. This means that both settings are crucial for ensuring a correct gas-air mixture ratio over the entire modu\u00adla\u00adtion range.<\/p>\n

The D01 valve is the first one that ebm-papst included in its product range and is suit\u00adable for a very wide power range of 8 to 120 kW. Thanks to its compact dimen\u00adsions, the D01 is a space-saving solu\u00adtion for inte\u00adgra\u00adtion into the boiler.<\/p>\n

Fig. 2: The gas valve range from ebm-papst for pneu\u00admatic networks. (Graphic | ebm-papst)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

Low power, big impact: the E01 valves<\/h2>\n

For lower power classes of up to 81 kW, the engi\u00adneers at ebm-papst have further refined the D01 prin\u00adciple and provided an even more compact solu\u00adtion: the E01 valve. The crucial differ\u00adence lies in the design of the safety valves. Instead of being distrib\u00aduted across two coils, they are combined in a single module. This uses less mate\u00adrial and also saves more energy as there is only one coil that has to be ener\u00adgized. The E01 is avail\u00adable in two versions: for power ranges from 1.5 to 57 kW and 3 to 81 kW.<\/p>\n

More flex\u00adi\u00adbility: the F01 valve<\/h2>\n

The gas valve is becoming much more impor\u00adtant in elec\u00adtronic networks. Here, the mixing ratio is not controlled by the vacuum but by the elec\u00adtronic actu\u00ada\u00adtion of the gas valve. Instead of reacting passively, it thus actively controls the gas supply. This means that, in contrast to pneu\u00admatic networks, the valve does not have to be manu\u00adally set in advance to suit the respec\u00adtive gas type and quality, as the system adapts to the gas.<\/p>\n

The valve needs a para\u00admeter to ensure it knows how much gas it should provide for mixing with the air. ebm-papst relies on what is known as ioniza\u00adtion tech\u00adnology for this, which uses the elec\u00adtrical conduc\u00adtivity of the flame. If a voltage is applied, the so-called ioniza\u00adtion current can be measured directly in the flame using an elec\u00adtrode. This can be used to draw conclu\u00adsions about the combus\u00adtion quality: If the current is too weak, the valve receives the signal to supply more gas; if it is too high, it restricts it.<\/p>\n

Fig. 3: The gas valve range from ebm-papst for elec\u00adtronic networks. (Graphic | ebm-papst)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

To ensure that the gas valve can actively control the gas supply, it has to be designed differ\u00adently than in a pneu\u00admatic network. With the F01 series, ebm-papst offers the ideal valves for all power classes between 1.8 and 762 kW (see Fig. 3). In terms of the safety tech\u00adnology, the devel\u00adopers relied on the same system as for the E01. However, a stepper motor with inte\u00adgrated pres\u00adsure regu\u00adlator is used on the outlet side. This motor can precisely vary the flow rate and, in turn, the amount of gas.<\/p>\n

If the flame sends the signal that combus\u00adtion is not optimal, this patented solu\u00adtion can take the appro\u00adpriate coun\u00adter\u00admea\u00adsures flex\u00adibly. This means that, in an elec\u00adtronic network, it almost doesn\u2019t matter which fuel is flowing through the pipes. What\u2019s more, the manu\u00adfac\u00adturers have to worry much less about the different gas types and qual\u00adi\u00adties \u2013 the combus\u00adtion is always optimal, effi\u00adcient, and envi\u00adron\u00admen\u00adtally friendly.<\/p>\n

Fig. 4: All three gas valve types from ebm-papst shown as sectional views. The gas flows in from the left (1). The two safety valves (2) are opened by one (E01, F01) or two (D01) elec\u00adtro\u00admag\u00adnetic coil(s). In the D01 and E01, the oper\u00adating valve (3) is used to regu\u00adlate the pres\u00adsure and quan\u00adtity. (Graphic | ebm-papst)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

\nThree valves with a whole host of bene\u00adfits<\/h2>\n
\n

The D01 valve<\/a><\/h3>
\n\u2022 Tried and tested in everyday oper\u00ada\u00adtions for many years
\n\u2022 Compact dimen\u00adsions mean greater flex\u00adi\u00adbility for manu\u00adfac\u00adturers
\n\u2022 Easy access to elec\u00adtrical connec\u00adtions and settings
\n\u2022 Precise adjust\u00adment of the gas-air ratio using the offset and main flow throttle setting\n<\/div>\n

The E01 valve<\/a><\/h3>
\n\u2022 Gas valve with one coil with coaxial double safety valve and a die-cast housing
\n\u2022 This makes it even smaller and allows for low elec\u00adtrical power
\n\u2022 Produced in ever-increasing volumes since 2014
\n\u2022 Easy access to the connec\u00adtions
\n\u2022 High offset accu\u00adracy and thus optimum compen\u00adsa\u00adtion of pres\u00adsure fluc\u00adtu\u00ada\u00adtions in the supply network\n<\/div>\n

The F01 valve<\/a><\/h3>
\n\u2022 Elec\u00adtronic control system means that manual settings are no longer required
\n\u2022 Patented solu\u00adtion comprising stepper motor and inte\u00adgrated pres\u00adsure regu\u00adlator
\n\u2022 Opti\u00admized design enables fully auto\u00admatic mounting
\n\u2022 Very precise control in a power range of 1.8-762 kW
\n\u2022 Modular design enables the valve to be opti\u00admally combined with other system compo\u00adnents\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The perfect combi\u00adna\u00adtion<\/h2>\n

Whether it\u2019s a pneu\u00admatic or elec\u00adtronic network, it is crucial that all compo\u00adnents in a combus\u00adtion system are perfectly coor\u00addi\u00adnated with one another. This means that the blower and valve have to be a good match. ebm-papst offers the following possible combi\u00adna\u00adtions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Blower<\/strong><\/td>\nGas valve<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
RadiMix VG 71 & VG 100<\/td>\nE01 and G15 F01<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
RadiMix VG 108<\/td>\nG20 D01 and G32 F01<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
VG 145<\/td>\nG20 D01 and G32 F01<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
RG 175<\/td>\nG32 F01 and G40 F01<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
G1G 170<\/td>\nG40 F01<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
G3G 200<\/td>\nG40 F01<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If there were only one type of gas in the world, life would be much easier for heater manu\u00adfac\u00adturers. They would need to configure their combus\u00adtion system just once to provide the optimum gas and air mixture ratio, after which the condensing boiler would provide heat equally effi\u00adciently in all parts of the world \u2013 [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blowers","category-heating"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15244"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15512,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15244\/revisions\/15512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}