Smart Valve™ by Flow Dynamics
In-line pressure valves deliver more water with an immediate cost savings of 15%–25%.*
*Savings will vary by property.
Several problems inherent in water delivery, usage and metering can affect your consumption and your costs. Most of them revolve around system pressure (PSI), flow rate (GPM) and turbulence.
The Smart Valve™ takes long-established principles of pressure and fluid dynamics—Boyle’s Law on gas pressure and volume, and Le Chatelier’s Principle of volumetric dynamics—and applies them in a new and financially rewarding way.
The valve constantly adjusts to downstream demand while maintaining near city (static) pressure upstream past the meter. By not allowing pressure to drop upstream, it prevents air volume from expanding, so the air passes the meter compressed and returns to its original state afterwards.
Creating backpressure upstream produces a corresponding pressure drop downstream, precisely controlled to system needs. That reduces actual consumption in non-volumetric uses such as showers, sinks and hoses.
Proprietary variably adjusting technology eliminates the peaks and valleys that cause a meter to over-read during a surge, creating a smooth, even flow that keeps readings accurate and protects against surge damage.
Almost all water devices are designed for roughly 60–65 PSI. Where a pressure reducer has failed or is absent, the Smart Valve™ is a reliable back-up that achieves significant reduction in high-PSI systems.
Manufacturing, power, food and beverage, laundry, biotechnology and semiconductors.
High-rise and campus office, healthcare facilities and hospitals, car washes and retail.
Hotels, resorts, golf courses and restaurants.
Government buildings, schools, colleges and universities, REITs, ESCOs and municipal agencies.
Apartment buildings, low-income housing, condominiums and HOAs.
Smart Valve™ is available in 3/4″, 1″, 1-1/2″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 6″, 8″, 10″ and 12″, in threaded and flanged installations.
Installation is quick, threaded or flanged, and takes the building offline only briefly.
Flow Dynamics customers using the Smart Valve™
How does water pressure affect my consumption? The higher the pressure in a system, the more water is pushed through it. City pressure readings keep rising as municipalities deliver more water through existing infrastructure. That is a problem because fixtures are designed for no more than 65 PSI, especially in older facilities without a pressure regulator.
Is there really air in my water? Water systems are pressurized, but they are not vacuums, and they are designed that way to prevent air blocks and air hammering. The real question is how much. Air volume is not constant: because gas volume is inversely related to pressure, the greater the pressure drop, the greater the increase in air volume.
How does air get into the line? As well as being released from entrainment in water, air is drawn in through tiny cracks, damaged joint seals and leaking flange connections, generated by temperature, flow and pressure changes, pocketed by the vortex action of pumps, and introduced in large amounts by main line breakages.
How am I paying for the air? Meters measure total volume, which includes any air present. Typically air can make up between 10% and 30% of total measured volume, and we have seen cases higher than that.
How does the Smart Valve™ save me money? It maintains close to city pressure upstream through the meter, so the pressure drops caused by normal usage never reach the meter. The air is not allowed to expand and be measured, the meter stays within its designed flow range, and over-supply from higher-than-desired city pressure is reduced.
How much will I save? It depends on city pressure and how much it fluctuates, flow rate and capacity, the amount of air in the line, and how water is used on the property. Savings will vary by property.
A short conversation is enough to size it
Share the building type, meter sizes and roughly what you spend on water and sewer. If the Smart Valve™ is not a fit for your property, we will say so.