Introducing the Xylem Hydrovar

Delivering up to 70 per cent savings on energy bills, the ‘plug-and-play’ Hydrovar is universally compatible and can be retrofitted to any existing booster set, to instantly turn a traditional fixed speed set into an energy and cost efficient variable speed system.

Installation is quick and easy and, once complete, the Hydrovar system will communicate electronically to ensure that the amount of water being used does not exceed the demand. With just the right amount of energy being consumed, the bill payer is no longer covering the cost of the original fixed speed system which uses a continual amount of pressure, even when demand was low.

The pump controller system, which can be fitted with one to eight pumps, has been designed to be used in conjunction with centrifugal pumps. With outputs of up to 22kW on pump mounted installations and up to 525 kW on wall mounted installations, the Hydrovar can be secured to any standard IEC motor or retrofit. In addition, the Hydrovar does not require any external control panels, contactors or motor protection devices.

Variable speed drives offer a range of other benefits in protecting the water pumping system. Some offer a ‘soft start function’ which not only allows almost silent operation, but also reduces the in-rush current when the pump is turned on and protects the unit from hydraulic shock. Put simply, the speed at which water flows through the pipes when the system is turned on is carefully controlled because if it was allowed to instantly flow at its maximum pressure, it will eventually cause cavitation in the joints of the system, leading to leaks and burst pipework.

Gary Wilde, Manager Communications EMEA at Xylem, comments: “The Hydrovar is an invaluable tool which can dramatically conserve energy without affecting the convenient lifestyles that we have become accustomed to. Water flowing at a rate in excess of that necessary to satisfy normal fixture or appliance demands can become damaging, wasteful and reduces the life expectancy of equipment in the system. The Hydrovar is suitable for a number applications across the commercial building services industry, delivering lower carbon emissions and most importantly, reducing monthly costs.”

End users can benefit from a host of features including dry run protection, auto change over, fault history, protection against under/over voltage, backflow protection through the use of a break tank type B air gap and, most importantly, a timed delay fill mode which ensures the pumping system does not flood the building on start up during a power cut.