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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 87 / Friday, May 7, 2021 / Proposed Rules DOE requests comment on the CPWGs recommended definitions for wet rotor circulator pump; dry rotor, two-piece circulator pump; dry rotor, three-piece circulator pump; and horizontal motor. Specifically, DOE
requests comment regarding whether changes in the market since the CPWGs recommendation would affect the recommended definitions and scope.
1. Definitions for Circulator Pumps In addition to the circulator pump categories discussed in II.A of this document, circulator pumps can also be differentiated based on the configuration in which they are sold.
Certain specific instances of this are discussed in sections II.A.1.a and II.A.1.b of this document.
a. Circulators-Less-Volute and Header Pumps Some circulator pumps are distributed in commerce as a complete assembly with a motor, impeller, and volute, while other circulator pumps are distributed in commerce with a motor and impeller, but without a volute herein referred to as circulators-lessvolute. Some circulators-less-volute are solely intended to be installed in other equipment, such as a boiler, using a cast piece in the other piece of equipment as the volute, while others can be installed as a replacement for a failed circulator pump in an existing system or to be newly installed with a paired volute in the field. Docket No.
EERE2016BTSTD0004, No. 47 at pp. 371372; Docket No. EERE2016
BTSTD0004, No. 70 at p. 98
In reviewing the definition of a pump, the CPWG stated that circulator pumps distributed in commerce without volutes fall under the definition of pump as defined in the January 2016 TP
final rule. Docket No. EERE2016BT
STD0004, No. 70 at pp. 8991 Further, the CPWG asserted that, if a circulatorless-volute was not subject to any adopted test procedure and standards, this could present a loophole since a circulator-less-volute and matching volute could easily be purchased and installed instead of a compliant circulator pump with a volute. Docket No. EERE2016BTSTD0004, No. 74
at pp. 383403
However, the CPWG discussed that a circulator-less-volute header pump that is solely intended to be installed in other equipment, uses the other equipment as the volute, and does not have a matching volute that is separately distributed in commerce would not pose the same loophole risk and, furthermore, would be very difficult to test. Specifically, the CPWG

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discussed how circulator manufacturers would not have access to or design authority for the volute design. In addition, the circulator could not be tested as a standalone circulator because the volute would be unable to be removed from the other equipment, and there would be no paired volute distributed in commerce with which the header pump could be tested. Therefore, such equipment would potentially require extensive and burdensome equipment to test appropriately. Docket No. EERE2016BTSTD0004, No. 74
at pp. 413416
The CPWG recommended excluding circulator pumps that are distributed in commerce exclusively to be incorporated into other OEM
equipment, such as boilers or pool heaters. Docket No. EERE2016BT
STD0004, No. 74 at pp. 415416 The CPWG suggested referring to these circulator-less-volute pumps that are intended solely for installation in another piece of equipment and do not have a paired volute that is distributed in commerce as header pumps.
Docket No. EERE2016BTSTD0004, No. 74 at pp. 384386. Specifically, in the September 2016 CPWG
recommendations, the CPWG
recommended to differentiate header pumps from other circulator-less-volute pumps by defining header pump as a pump that consists of a circulator-lessvolute intended to be installed in an OEM piece of equipment that serves as the volute, and to exclude them from the recommended circulator test procedure and standards. Docket No.
EERE2016BTSTD0004, No. 58
Recommendations 2B at p. 2
DOE requests comment regarding whether the market changes in the intervening years since the CPWGs recommendation of a definition for header pump warrant modification of that recommended definition.
b. On-Demand Circulator Pumps On-demand circulator pumps are designed to maintain hot water supply within a temperature range by activating in response to a signal, such as user presence. The CPWG recommended that the following definition for on-demand circulator pumps be incorporated as necessary:
On-demand circulator pump means a circulator pump that is distributed in commerce with an integral control that:
Initiates water circulation based on receiving a signal from the action of a user of a fixture or appliance or sensing the presence of a user of a fixture and cannot initiate water circulation based on other inputs, such as water temperature or a preset schedule.

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Automatically terminates water circulation once hot water has reached the pump or desired fixture.
Does not allow the pump to operate when the temperature in the pipe exceeds 104 F or for more than 5 minutes continuously.

Docket No. EERE2016BTSTD0004, No. 98 Non-Binding Recommendation 1 at pp. 45
In addition, the on-demand circulator pump must not be capable of operating without the control without physically destructive modification of the unit, such as any modification that would violate the products standards listing.
DOE requests comment regarding the CPWG-recommended definition of ondemand circulator pump and whether it is appropriate to retain on-demand circulator pumps within the scope of future analysis.
2. Definition of Small Vertical In-Line Pump During the course of the negotiations, the CPWG also discussed and provided recommendations related to SVIL
pumps. As noted, SVIL pumps are similar to IL pumps, but have a shaft input power lower than pumps included in the scope of the general pumps test procedure. Specifically, SVIL pumps are described as IL style pumps with a shaft input power of less than 1 hp at BEP at full impeller diameter and are distinguished from dry-rotor circulator pumps by having a motor that does not have to be configured in a horizontal position. The CPWG found that SVIL pumps could serve similar functions as some dry rotor circulator pumps. Docket No.
EERE2016BTSTD0004, No. 66 at p.
11, 52 Additionally, the CPWG stated that because they serve similar functions to some dry rotor circulator pumps, SVIL pumps pose a substitution risk and recommended that SVIL pumps be addressed as part the circulator pumps rulemaking. Docket No. EERE
2016BTSTD0004, No. 66 at p. 2730
Specifically, the CPWG recommended that SVIL pumps be evaluated on the PEICL or PEIVL metric, similar to commercial and industrial pumps CIP,8 and use the CIP test procedure to measure performance, with any additional modifications necessary as determined by DOE. Docket No. EERE
2016BTSTD0004, No. 58
Recommendations 1B at pp. 12
Potential test procedures and metric for SVIL pumps are discussed further in section II.D.
In order to distinguish SVIL pumps from dry rotor circulator pumps, the 8 Commercial and industrial pumps are referred to as general pumps throughout this document.

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