Hydronic Piping Systems

Posted by Dave on June 19, 2014

Hydronics is the use of water as the heat-transfer medium in heating and cooling systems. A
hydronic piping system is used to circulate chilled or hot water with the connections between
the piping and the terminal units made in a series loop. The terminal units are the heat
exchangers that transfer the thermal energy between the water and the spaces to be cooled or
heated.

Hydronic systems may be used for both a chilled and a heated water loop with chillers and
cooling towers used separately or together as a means to provide water cooling, while boilers
heat the water.

Types of hydronic piping systems are:

1. The Series Loop – This system is aptly named because all of the units are in series, and
one loop is formed. In this system the entire water supply flows through each terminal
unit and then returns to the generator and
pump. Although it is a simple arrangement,
this setup has its disadvantages:
o To maintain or repair any terminal unit, it requires a shutdown of the entire
system.

o The number of units is limited because in heating systems the water

temperature continually decreases as it gives up heat in each unit in series.
That can cause a low temperature in the far units in the system which may not
provide adequate heat for comfort.

The series loop arrangement is basic, inexpensive and mostly used for residences.

2. One-Pipe Main – With this system, each

terminal unit is connected by a supply
and a return branch pipe to the main. By
locating valves in the branch lines, each
unit can be separately controlled and
serviced. In this system, like in the
series loop, if there are too many units
the heated water going to the far units
may be not sufficient for room comfort.

3. Two-Pipe Direct Return – This

is generally used for larger systems and

consists of two mains. One main is used for
supply and one main is used for return. This
system is more expensive than the one-pipe main and series loop, but it allows each
terminal unit to be separately controlled and serviced because the supply water
temperature to each unit is the same. The two-pipe system is called direct return
because the return main is routed to bring the water back to the source by the shortest
path.
 4. Two-Pipe Reverse Return – Here we have
a supply and a return that are equal in
length and size. The first terminal supplied
is the last terminal returned and vise-versa,
making it is easy to balance the flow rates.

Combination arrangements can also be made to

create a three-pipe or four-pipe system. In
the three-pipe arrangement, simultaneous heating
or cooling can be made available. There are two-
supply mains, one circulating chilled water, the other hot water. Three-way control valves in
the branch to each terminal unit will determine whether the unit receives hot or chilled water
and the return main receives the water from each unit. However, the three-pipe system can
waste energy because the return main mixes chilled and hot water. In this mixing process, the
chilled water is warmed and the hot water is cooled, which results in extra heating and cooling
in the boiler and/or chiller. The four-pipe arrangement is expensive, but it separates two-pipe
systems – one for chilled water and one for hot water. Therefore, no mixing occurs making it
an ideal arrangement to avoid wasted energy.