Hello all--
As I gear up to design and implement my storage, one of the things that I'll need to do is to operate the 4-way valve that I'll have on the tank side of my plate HX in order to maintain countercurrent flow (and maximum efficiency of heat exchange) on the tank side of the plate HX.
I already have the 4-way valve for reversing the flow- a Tekmar 722 1.25 inch brass 4-way valve (I have a spare, new in box, for sale at cost if anyone needs one). Flow on the boiler side of the plate HX is handled by a Taco Twin Tee, which makes direction of flow on that side pretty much irrelevant.
Actuator motors for 4-way valves, at least the ones that I have seen to fit the Tekmar 722, seem to cost Beaucoup Bucks. And, in my instance, I do not need to modulate the 4-way valve at partial settings between open and closed-- I merely need to have it in one direction during a boiler burn, as the tank is charging, and then revert quickly to the other direction once the fire has quit charging the tank.
My best idea to date is to rig a round rotor disk to the 4-way valve actuator shaft (which will be near the floor) and then have a round pulley above near the ceiling, with a loop of chain or cord, and an electromagnet (such as those used to hold emergency doors open) and a weight. When the boiler is fired, I can set controls up to energize the electromagnet-- and when the tank has reached a temperature at or nearly at the temperature of the boiler, the electromagnet would be de-energized, allowing the weight to pull downward on the loop of cord in order to shift the valve to the opposite direction of flow for the mode in which the tank will become the heat source rather than the heat sink.
I welcome suggestions, alternative ideas, etc.
Thanks
As I gear up to design and implement my storage, one of the things that I'll need to do is to operate the 4-way valve that I'll have on the tank side of my plate HX in order to maintain countercurrent flow (and maximum efficiency of heat exchange) on the tank side of the plate HX.
I already have the 4-way valve for reversing the flow- a Tekmar 722 1.25 inch brass 4-way valve (I have a spare, new in box, for sale at cost if anyone needs one). Flow on the boiler side of the plate HX is handled by a Taco Twin Tee, which makes direction of flow on that side pretty much irrelevant.
Actuator motors for 4-way valves, at least the ones that I have seen to fit the Tekmar 722, seem to cost Beaucoup Bucks. And, in my instance, I do not need to modulate the 4-way valve at partial settings between open and closed-- I merely need to have it in one direction during a boiler burn, as the tank is charging, and then revert quickly to the other direction once the fire has quit charging the tank.
My best idea to date is to rig a round rotor disk to the 4-way valve actuator shaft (which will be near the floor) and then have a round pulley above near the ceiling, with a loop of chain or cord, and an electromagnet (such as those used to hold emergency doors open) and a weight. When the boiler is fired, I can set controls up to energize the electromagnet-- and when the tank has reached a temperature at or nearly at the temperature of the boiler, the electromagnet would be de-energized, allowing the weight to pull downward on the loop of cord in order to shift the valve to the opposite direction of flow for the mode in which the tank will become the heat source rather than the heat sink.
I welcome suggestions, alternative ideas, etc.
Thanks
