Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure: Lessons Learned

Charles R. Wilson

Best Practices The Eastern Regional Association of Physical Plant Administrators (ERAPPA) is a Registered Provider with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems. Credit earned on completion of this program will be reported to CES Records for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for non-AIA members are available on request.

This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

Learning Objectives: 1. Explore the “Big Picture” ideas a campus should ask BMS

systems designers to implement

2. Evaluate whether manufacturer’s packaged, on-board BACnet compatible controls enhance factory equipment service and advice

3. Assess whether asking electric system designers to adjust their designs can improve the information we collect.

4. Evaluate how less, but selected, information might sometimes be better.

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure Learning Objectives

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure BACnet at Cortland

Cortland BACnet Experience

The Cortland campus includes a mix of buildings serving academic, residential, sports, and dining uses.

From a Facilities viewpoint, campus automation systems, and related design issues are likely typical of similar institutions.

Campus has implemented building automation systems by multiple vendors. (One vendor for each building)

Each building system interconnects with several packaged, on-board sub-systems provided by equipment manufacturers.

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned:

This presentation will share our experience, and lessons learned in a BACnet control environment.

• Multiple Building Automation System Vendors • Virtual Server for each vendor installed on

campus server farm. • Archival Databases for each vendor maintained

on campus hard drive arrays.

Three BACnet System Goals

1. Collect campus wide information from different vendor systems, and assemble that information in a single display.

2. Help us understand how we are using energy, so we can focus our limited resources.

3. Equipment maintenance (e.g. chillers, boilers) requires ever higher technical skills. Help us leverage time of our best technicians.

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure

BACnet System Goals

Why BACnet?

• BACnet allows for communication between products from different vendors.

• Using different vendors prevents a monopoly and grants versatility.

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure Why BACnet?

A Campus BACnet Water Metering System

• Connect “dry contact” pulse reading heads to dedicated BMS

controller. • Specifically assign someone

coordination of pulse format and meter scale units.

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure BACnet Water Metering

Ethernet Patchbay

A “Simple” BACnet Pulse Gas Metering System

• Someone needs to coordinate metering units with controller

• Assign responsibility for coordination of pulse format, scaling units, commissioning.

• Design needs to prevent accidental reset of totalized reading

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure BACnet Pulse Gas Metering System

Pulse Output Module

Turbine Gas Meter

A BACnet Electric Metering System

• Real time campus energy metering

• Useful when coordinating summer curtailment

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure A BACnet Power Metering System

Ethernet Patchbay

Design Considerations for Campus Electric Meters

• Manufacturer provides and coordinates gateway with Building Automation system

• BAS vendor responsible for end to end communication

• Provide meter commissioning requirements

• Include basic testing in commissioning

Campus Metering Design Considerations BACnet Campus Metering

Using BACnet to Coordinate Communication

• Facilities Management • Campus Technicians • Engineer • Factory Technician

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure Using BACnet to Coordinate Communications

History

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure

• Initially, chiller controls were weakly integrated via pneumatic systems

• DDC controls did not help

• BACnet can interconnect everyone

Historically Fragmented Communications: And a BACnet Solution

Chiller Controls: The BACnet Advantage • Router/System Manager • Gateway • Packaged Plant Controller • Chiller Unit Controller • Compressor Controller

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure Chiller Control: The BACnet Advantage

Integrated Controls Advantage

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure Chiller Controls: the BACnet Advantage

Can Onboard BACnet Compatible Controls Enhance Service and Advice?

• Manufacturer can place sensors to collect usable information.

• Accuracy is often better due to built-in sensor placement.

• Compressor winding temperature not possible except with built in sensor.

• Control subroutines are optimized for hardware.

• Example: Chiller capacity control.

A BACnet Boiler Plant Management System

• Plant Manager sequences boilers

• Detail internal sensor information passed to web page

• Failure codes remotely accessed by our facility monitoring center, the vendor’s technician.

• Direct factory access to the plant manager via TCP/IP over Ethernet. (Service port activated by IT when required)

• Domestic hot water also controlled via Plant Manager

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure Decentralized Boiler Management

BACnet dual purpose light management & managed HVAC occupancy control

• Classroom pedagogy enhanced by thoughtful lighting control

• Lighting occupancy does not have to be limited to simple on/off control

• By managing occupancy detection, we can differentiate between significant occupancy and people walking through our space

• Managed occupancy can also serve HVAC controllers

Multi-Vendor Campus BACnet Compliant Controls Infrastructure A Dual Purpose Light Management/ Occupancy System

Continuing Education Questions For the Audience!

Questions for the Audience

1. How does BACnet provide better campus service management?

2. Why are packaged equipment sensors and controllers sometimes better than field applied systems?

3. What is the advantage of managed occupancy sensors?

4. What should we ask electric design engineers to add to their drawings?

5. How can alarm management improve our service response?

Questions? Thank you for joining us today. This concludes the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems Program

Charles.Wilson@crwilsonengineering.com

CHARLES R WILSON ENGINEERING, P.C. Mechanical Systems Engineering