by Brianna Crandall — October 26, 2016 — Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation, recently announced the SmartX MG350V compact globe actuator, the company’s first SmartX control device. The new SmartX MG350V globe valve actuator combines high-performance functionality with reliability and enables users to maximize efficiency at the application level.
Schneider Electric, fueled by the wealth of data that Internet of Things (IoT)-connected devices can deliver to customers, launched the intelligent SmartX MG350V Actuator to connect with a building management system (BMS) to enable increased building and energy efficiency, reduced energy consumption and lower operational costs.
To ensure optimal performance, the actuator provides facilities managers with high-performance, precise control functions such as a multicolor LED display that indicates the valve mode, valve position/movement and alarms. It also provides signals for valve blockage, loose linkage, lock of control signal, service and internal fault. Additional features of the actuator include a manual override that enables automatic release, stall protection throughout stroke, and valve position indication.
Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) can account for up to 40 percent of energy costs in a building, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics. While there are many highly sophisticated technologies and innovations assisting organizations in optimizing these energy costs such as building management systems (BMS), one area is often overlooked: control devices such as actuators, valves, thermostats, switches and sensors. These devices are critically important in ensuring optimal performance and efficiency of the BMS, and serve as the foundation of today’s smart, connected building management solutions, says Schneider Electric.
The SmartX Actuator portfolio is the first of three new building management product ranges — which also includes SmartX Controllers and SmartX Sensors — recently released by Schneider Electric to enable efficiency through integration, engineering, operation and service. The SmartX Actuator portfolio is designed to complement Schneider Electric’s SmartStruxure solution and SmartStruxure Lite solution, providing data to a BMS, with some devices providing direct environmental control.
The actuators enable efficiency, support actionable intelligence with early warning of potential problems and dangerous system conditions, and offer reliable HVAC control for optimal, efficient building performance for a variety of applications, including variable air volume units, fan coil units, air-handling units, chillers, boilers and district heating or cooling. These applications are found in a wide range of market segments, including healthcare, data centers, commercial buildings, education, retail and hospitality.
For installers, the full-featured actuator assembles to nine non-spring return globe valves and is available in four different models that provide options for timing, stroke, force and input and output signals. It is equipped with several features that lend to simple installation, including auto-calibration that scales the input signal to match the exact travel of the valve stem for precise control and fast commissioning. In addition, the actuator features easy DIPswitch setup for input signal and action and a field selectable feedback range. The SmartX MG350V standard model also has a removable terminal plug and cable entry and electrical connector, making it simple to wire and connect.
The SmartX MG350V standard model actuator is available now in the United States through EcoXpert channel partners and wholesalers. To learn more about Schneider Electric’s SmartX line of control devices, visit the company’s Web site or contact a local Schneider Electric representative.
