Maintaining uniform hydraulic conditions with intelligent on–off regulation

Abstract An advanced control method for central heating systems is used in precise room temperature control. In this method, based on room temperature changes and user demand, the duty cycle of the control valve for each cycle was predicted and the valve was regulated according to the duty cycle to maintain room temperature at set point. However, this control method could allow all of the valves to easily open or close at the same time, resulting in large fluctuations in hydraulic conditions. In response to this issue, this article proposed a method that achieves hydraulic uniformity by staggering the control cycle of each user, which allows the number of opening users in the on/off control heating system to be uniformly distributed over time and space. The results from theoretical analysis and practical application revealed that this method was effective in solving practical problems. Furthermore, staggering the control cycles could actively manipulate the actions of valves without requiring a specific number of users as opposed to the conventional on–off adjustment mode, which achieved hydraulic uniformity primarily through the random cumulative effects of a certain number of users.