IIoT solution combining thermal metering, flow regulation, and smart valve control. Built from scratch (TRL 1) and deployed in real infrastructure (TRL 9). All IP belongs to the customer.
Industry:
Services:
TRL:
1 → 9
Project duration:
6 years
In both industrial and residential settings, hot water distribution systems suffer from significant thermal energy losses — often untracked due to a lack of downstream metering. While boiler-side data is typically available, no insight exists into losses between production and the end user.
Our customer needed a custom IIoT solution to accurately monitor and regulate thermal energy and water flow — beyond what conventional heat meters or consumer-grade smart valves could provide. Estimated losses from circulation reached up to 500% of consumption, demanding a precise, real-time metering and regulation system to reduce waste and improve control.
STM8 MCU
Multilayer PCBA
PID controller
C++ / C#
RS485
EERPOM
Hot Water Thermodynamics
FEA Fluid Dynamics Simulations
Standard metrology calibration
Modbus ASCII
With the R&D goals set in place, the project was identified to be at TRL-1..2 (idea stage with some potential theoretical algorithms suggested).
EnCata started to develop the new measurement technology, which would enable both precision metering and temperature sensing with efficient feedback to the valve system. The algorithms and physics are based on the equations of the balance of thermal energy and heat carrier.
The research was executed in stages, starting from the applied thermophysical research and core algorithms development on top of the thermodynamic and fluid dynamics theory.
This research and successful concept development led to the design of 4 different electronic boards as part of the EVT (engineering validation testing). These PCBAs and the firmware were further used in verification and tests of the developed algorithms. In total there were 6 algorithms developed in order to fit the control and monitoring system into existing infrastructure and achieve precise control over various temperature and thermodynamic parameters of the industrial hot water supply.
The designed electronics are based on the MCUs of the STM family. The PCBAs enabled the regulators to work in tandem with the heat meter through the heat communication channel.
The regulator and the heat meter are interconnected by the RS 485 digital information channel. The controller has several tunable PID control loops, and also uses an algorithm for regulating the supply of thermal energy based on its consumption data (obtained from the connection with the heat meter). For calendar control of heating modes, the board has a real-time clock, calendar control parameters are set by means of user embedded software.
To implement the measurement data archiving, there are two EEPROM devices on the controller board. Data access is provided via the RS-485 interface, which can be used when the controller is turned on in the SCADA system. Controller parameters can be set locally, via the operator interface, or remotely, via RS-485.
First tests (TRL-5) suggested further refinements in the algorithms which took several months of further R&D. The challenge was to achieve precision in regulating the release of hot water based on consumption data (obtained through the communication with a heat meter).
A special test bench was developed for the performance monitoring controller PCB. The bench forms test actions on all physical inputs of the regulator and controls all its output actions. A special test firmware for the controller has been developed for the operation of the test rig. The control of the bench is carried out from the service program for Windows through the USB interface of the PC. And the bench uses the STM8S207 microcontroller.
Once the algorithms were recalculated and updated, several regulation valve designs were developed to accommodate the sensors and metering system. The mechanical engineering of the valve design was supported by an array of CFD virtual simulations in order to achieve linearity in plunger pin displacements vs hot water flow. The simulations were compared to previously achieved experimental parameters and once the “ideal” profile corresponding to a particular mechanical design was calculated, EnCata proceeded to batch produce prototypes for the pilot.
During the pilot, the integration tests aimed to prove the system can automatically adjust the heat/hot water flow and balance the energy consumption (which is not allowed by any existing related temperature regulators).
The batch production required little DFM on the mechanical side and some DFT (design for tests) on the electrical side. So the test bench for PCB tests was developed and used throughout the batch production as part of the production validation testing (PVT).
The system we developed reached TRL-9 and is now in certified batch production. It’s already being used in both industrial and residential heating systems, where it monitors and controls hot water flow and thermal energy in real time.
The results speak for themselves: energy use dropped by 9.5%, CAPEX was reduced by 280% by replacing legacy meters, and in a city with 2 million residents, the projected annual savings reached $4.2 million. Unlike standard meters that require calibration every 2 to 4 years, this system eliminates that need entirely — reducing maintenance costs and downtime.
Today, it’s running in the field as a proven IIoT solution — built entirely from scratch and ready for scale.
Looking to develop a similar IIoT system for energy metering or flow control? Explore our mechanical engineering, electronics development, firmware development services or contact us directly.
reduction in heat energy after installing the custom IIoT system
reduction in CAPEX reduction from replacing legacy heat metering infrastructure
savings in a city of 2 million residents using the deployed solution
