The Bell and Gossett System Syzer® – a few other uses

Norm Hall
 / 
January 18, 2010
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In the last two MMM articles we used examples of pipe selection for water and other fluids. Using the electronic version of the ITT Bell and Gossett system syzer we found our example of 800 GPM in 6” pipe produced a pressure drop of 4.03 feet/100 feet for water and 5.04 feet/100 feet for 50% ethylene glycol/water at 40° F.

We can use this valuable tool for another purpose. When using a fluid other than water in hydronic systems it is, often times, necessary to correct a water pressure drop of a piece of equipment to the pressure drop for the fluid.

The ITT Bell and Gossett manual TEH-176 Hydronic Antifreeze Design describes some approximate correction factors for 50% ethylene glycol. The manual indicates the correction factor for 40°F – 50% ethylene glycol is 1.22 in a heat exchanger. What happens if you need a correction factor for other fluids? The system syzer can help!

Example: Let’s assume our 800 GPM fluid is now 40% propylene glycol/water at 25°F. Using the methods described in the last MMM of 1-11-10 we correct for the fluid type and find the pressure drop is now 5.96 feet/100 feet. Since the number was 4.03 for water, we can take 5.96 ÷ 4.03 = 1.48 and use it for our correction factor. This is an approximate correction since it changes with the Reynolds number and velocity throughout the system.

An engineer may find a situation where the system pressure drop is based on water and he or she is looking for a quick correction factor to change to another fluid. This method gives a quick multiplier to approximate the pressure drop change.

Next week we will look at the Cv portion of the system syzer.
Click here to view or download a copy of the ITT Bell and Gossett TEH-176 manual.

If you would like to download the electronic system syzer go to http://www.bellgossett.com/BG-SystemSyzer.asp.

Thank you for using products sold by R. L. Deppmann Company in Michigan and Ohio!

Disclaimer: R. L. Deppmann and it’s affiliates can not be held liable for issues caused by use of the information on this page. While the information comes from many years of experience and can be a valuable tool, it may not take into account special circumstances in your system and we therefore can not take responsibility for actions that result from this information. Please feel free to contact us if you do have any questions.

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