John Seigenthaler: Renewable Heating Design

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Biomass boilers burn various fuels and come in different designs. Water vapor is produced when burning wood-based fuels, and the resulting condensate can be acidic and corrosive to metals like carbon steel and iron.

In last month’s column, we discussed the design and actuation of 3-way diverter valves. This month, we’ll look at several applications for these valves.

There are many scenarios in which flow at some location within a hydronic system has to be directed along one of two possible flow paths. When a single valve is used to create this routing, it’s called a diverter valve. In part 1, we're digging into motorized 3-way diverter valves and actuator options.

Last month, we discussed how solid thermal energy storage, combined with an air-to-water heat pump and an electric boiler, provides a platform to leverage time-of-use electrical rates in ways that can benefit customers as well as the utility providing the electricity.

A problem is developing with the transition to electric heating: peak demand. Learn how air-to-water heat pumps tackle seasonal needs but struggle during extreme cold, leading to reliance on electric resistance heating.

Discover the major flaws in a proposed heating system and learn about a makeover approach to eliminate the issues.

Like most people, I have opinions and beliefs about our current energy sources, and specifically how they play into the future of hydronic heating and cooling technology.

System COP is a more relevant metric of geothermal heat pump performance since the owner is paying for the electrical energy to operate the heat pump and the circulator, and their operation is always simultaneous.

The goal is to keep the system COP as high a possible as the operating conditions of the heat pump change. The logic behind maximum COP tracking is to continually look for an earth loop flow rate that improves the system COP.

Every year, manufacturers develop new or improved products for the North American hydronic market. Product development planning by those manufacturers depends on several factors. Here are a few of the main considerations.