Building Management Systems_ download from internet

Building Management System (BMS) is a computer based control system installed in

buildings that controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment such as
air handling and cooling plant systems, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and security
systems. A BMS consists of software and hardware. The software program, usually configured in
a hierarchical manner, can be proprietary using such protocols as C-bus, Profibus, etc. Recently
however new vendors are producing BMSs that integrate using Internet protocols and open
standards like SOAP, XML, BacNet, Lon and Modbus.

A BMS is more typical in a large building (>50K sq ft). Its core function is to manage the
environment temperature, CO2 level and humidity within a building. As a core function in most
BMS systems, it controls the production of heating and cooling, manages the systems that
distribute this air throughout the building, and then locally controls the mixture of heating and
cooling to achieve the desired room temperature. A key secondary function is to monitor the
level of human generated CO2, mixing in outside air with waste air to increase the amount of O2
while also minimizing heat/cooling losses.

Systems linked to a BMS typically represent 40% of a building's energy usage; if lighting is
included this number approaches 70%. BMS systems are a critical component to managing
energy demand. Mis-configured BMS systems are believed to account for 20% of building
energy usage, or approximately 8% of total energy usage in the United States.

BMS systems are delivered as fully integrated systems and services through companies like
Siemens, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, TAC and others. Independent services companies use
solutions from companies like Delta, Distech, Circon and KMC controls. New more flexiable
solutions that link BMS systems to enterpise management software like SAP, OpenView,
Archibus, Maximo and others including Tridium and Gridlogix.

For example in an Organization BMS comprises 'Access Control' (which controls the employees
restricted movability in the Organization), CCTV facilities, etc.

HVAC control system

A HVAC control system is a computerized control system for climate control in buildings.
Stand alone control devices may be pneumatic or electronic. Some may have microprocessors,
but to be considered a "control system" for the context of this article, computerized and
networked are expected requirements. HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, air-conditioning.

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Often, these integrate fire, security, and lighting controls into one system. These systems
typically use one or more central controllers to command and monitor the remote terminal unit
controllers, and they communicate with one or more personal computers that are used as the
operator interface. These control systems are typically used on large commercial and industrial
buildings to allow central control of many HVAC units around the building(s). The latest
systems use ethernet for communications between central controllers--allowing remote access
from a web browser.

Direct Digital Control (DDC)

Central controllers and most terminal unit controllers are programmable, meaning the direct
digital control program code may be customized for the intended use. The program features
include time schedules, setpoints, controllers, logic, timers, trend logs, and alarms. The unit
controllers typically have analog and digital inputs that allow measurement of the variable
(temperature, humidity, or pressure) and analog and digital outputs for control of the transport
medium (hot/cold water and/or steam). Digital inputs are typically (dry) contacts from a control
device, and analog inputs are typically a voltage or current measurement from a variable
(temperature, humidity, velocity, or pressure) sensing device. Digital outputs are typically relay
contacts used to start and stop equipment, and analog outputs are typically voltage or current
signals to control the movement of the medium (air/water/steam) control devices.
(Valves/dampers/motor speed)

Building Automation
Building automation" can also refer to Build automation, the practice of programmatically
compiling software programs.

This article is about automation within commercial buildings. For automation within residences,
see Home automation.

A Building Automation System (BAS) is an example of a Distributed control system. Building

automation describes the functionality provided by the control system. The control system is a
computerized, intelligent network of electronic devices, designed to monitor and control the
mechanical and lighting systems in a building.

BAS core functionality keeps the building climate within a specified range, provides lighting
based on an occupancy schedule, and monitors system performance and device failures and

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provides email and/or text notifications to building engineering staff. The BAS functionality
reduces building energy and maintenance costs when compared to a non-controlled building. A
building controlled by a BAS is often referred to as an intelligent building.

Controller
Controllers are essentially small, purpose-built computers with input and output capabilites.
These controllers come in a range of sizes and capabilities to control devices commonly found in
buildings, and to control sub-networks of controllers.

Inputs allow a controller to read temperatures, humidity, pressure, current flow, air flow, and
other essential factors. The outputs allow the controller to send command and control signals to
slave devices, and to other parts of the system. Inputs and outputs can be either digital or analog.

Controllers used for building automation can be grouped in 3 categories. PLCs, System/Network
controllers, and Terminal Unit controllers.

PLC's provide the most responsiveness and processing power, but at a unit cost typically 2 to 3
times that of a System/Network controller intended for BAS applications. Terminal Unit
controllers are usually the least expensive and least powerful.

PLC's may be used to automate high-end applications such as clean rooms or hospitals where the
cost of the controllers is a lesser concern.

In office buildings, supermarkets, malls, and other common automated buildings the systems will
use System/Network controllers rather than PLC's. Most System controllers provide general
purpose feedback loops, as well as digital circuits, but lack the millisecond response time that
PLC's provide.

System/Network controllers may be applied to control one or more mechanical systems such as
an Air Handler Unit (AHU), boiler, chiller, etc., or they may supervise a sub-network of
controllers. In the diagram above, System/Network controllers are often used in place of
Programmable Logic Controllers.

Terminal Unit controllers usually are suited for control of lighting and/or simpler devices such as
a package rooftop unit, heat pump, VAV box, or fan coil, etc. The installer typically selects 1 of

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the available pre-programmed personalities best suited to the device to be controlled, and does
not have to create new control logic.

Occupancy
Occupancy is one of 2 or more operating modes for a building automation system. Unoccupied,
Morning Warmup, and Night-time Setback are other common modes.

Occupancy is usually based on time of day schedules. In Occupancy mode, the BAS aims to
provides a comfortable climate and adequate lighting, often with zone-based control so that users
on one side of a building have a different setpoint than users on the opposite side.

A temperature sensor in the zone provides feedback to the controller, so it can deliver heating or
cooling as needed.

If enabled, Morning Warmup (MWU) mode occurs prior to Occupancy. During Morning
Warmup the BAS tries to bring the building to setpoint just in time for Occupancy. The BAS
often factors in outdoor conditions and historical experience to optimize MWU.

An override is a manually-initiated command to the BAS. For example, many wall-mounted

temperature sensors will have a push-button that forces the system into Occupancy mode for a
set number of minutes. Where present, web interfaces allow users to remotely initiate an override
on the BAS.

Some buildings rely on occupancy sensors to activate lighting and/or climate conditioning.
Given the potential for long lead times before a space becomes sufficiently cool or warm, climate
conditioning is not often initiated directly by an occupancy sensor.

Lighting
Lighting can be turned on and off with a building automation system based on time of day, or the
occupancy sensors and timers. One typical example is to turn the lights in a space on for a half
hour since the last motion was sensed. A photocell placed outside a building can sense darkness,
and the time of day, and modulate lights in outer offices and the parking lot
Air handlers

Most air handlers mix return and outside air so less temperature change is needed. This can save
money by using less chilled or heated water (not all AHUs use chilled/hot water circuits). Some
external air is needed to keep the building's air healthy.

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Analog or digital temperature sensors may be placed in the space or room, the return and supply
air ducts, and sometimes the external air. Actuators are placed on the hot and chilled water
valves, the outside air and return air dampers. The supply fan (and return if applicable) is started
and stopped based on either time of day, temperatures, building pressures or a combination

Constant Volume Air-Handling Units

The less efficient type of air-handler is a "Constant Volume Air Handling Unit," or CAV. The
fans in CAVs do not have variable-speed controls. Instead, CAVs open and close dampers and
water-supply valves to maintain temperatures in the building's spaces. They heat or cool the
spaces by opening or closing chilled or hot water valves that feed their internal heat exchangers.
Generally one CAV serves several spaces, but large buildings may have many CAVs

Variable Volume Air-Handling Units

A more efficient unit is a "Variable air volume (VAV) Air-Handling Unit," or VAV. VAVs
supply pressurized air to VAV boxes, usually one box per room or area. A VAV air handler can
change the pressure to the VAV boxes by changing the speed of a fan or blower with a variable
frequency drive or (less efficiently) by moving inlet guide vanes to a fixed-speed fan. The
amount of air is determined by the needs of the spaces served by the VAV boxes.

Each VAV box supply air to a small space, like an office. Each box has a damper that is opened
or closed based on how much heating or cooling is required in its space. The more boxes are
open, the more air is required, and a greater amount of air is supplied by the VAV air-handling
unit.

Some VAV boxes also have hot water valves and an internal heat exchanger. The valves for hot
and cold water are opened or closed based on the heat demand for the spaces it is supplying.
These heated VAV boxes are sometimes used on the perimeter only and the interior zones are
cooling only.

A minimum and maximum CFM must be set on VAV boxes to assure adequate ventilation and
proper air balance.

VAV Hybrid Systems

Another variation is a hybrid between VAV and CAV systems. In this system, the interior zones
operate as in a VAV system. The outer zones differ in that the heating is supplied by a heating -

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an in a central location usually with a heating coil fed by the building boiler. The heated air is
ducted to the exterior dual duct mixing boxes and dampers controlled by the zone thermostat
calling for either cooled or heated air as needed

Central plant
A central plant is needed to supply the air-handling units with water. It may supply a chilled
water system, hot water system and a condenser water system, as well as transformers and
auxiliary power unit for emergency power. If well managed, these can often help each other. For
example, some plants generate electric power at periods with peak demand, using a gas turbine,
and then use the turbine's hot exhaust to heat water or power an absorptive chiller.

Chilled water system

Chilled water is often used to cool a building's air and equipment. The chilled water system will
have chiller(s) and pumps. Analog temperature sensors measure the chilled water supply and
return lines. The chiller(s) are sequenced on and off to chill the chilled water supply.

Condenser water system

Cooling tower(s) and pumps are used to supply cool condenser water to the chillers. The
condenser water supply to the chillers has to be constant so, speed drives are commonly used on
the cooling tower fans to control temperature. Proper cooling tower temperature assures the
proper refrigerant head pressure in the chiller. The cooling tower set point used depends upon the
refrigerant being used. Analog temperature sensors measure the condenser water supply and
return lines.

Hot water system

The hot water system supplies heat to the building's air-handling units or VAV boxes. The hot
water system will have a boiler(s) and pumps. Analog temperature sensors are placed in the hot
water supply and return lines. Some type of mixing valve is usually used to control the heating
water loop temperature. The boiler(s) and pumps are sequenced on and off to maintain supply.

Alarms and security

Many building automation systems have alarm capabilities. If an alarm is detected, it can be
programmed to notify someone. Notification can be through a computer, pager, cellular phone,
or audible alarm.

• Common temperature alarms are Space, Supply Air, Chilled Water Supply and Hot
Water Supply.

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• Differential pressure switches can be placed on the filter to determine if it is dirty.

• Status alarms are common. If a mechanical device like a pump is requested to start, and
the status input indicates it is off. This can indicate a mechanical failure.
• Some valve actuators have end switches to indicate if the valve has opened or not.
• Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide sensors can be used to alarm if levels are too high.
• Refrigerant sensors can be used to indicate a possible refrigerant leak.
• Amperage sensors can be used to detect low amperage conditions caused by slipping fan
belts, or clogging strainers at pumps.

At sites with several buildings, momentary power failures can cause hundreds or thousands of
alarms from equipment that has shut down. Some sites are programmed so that critical alarms are
automatically re-sent at varying intervals. For example, a repeating critical alarm (of a
uninterruptible power supply in 'by pass') might resound at 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and every 2
to 4 hours there after until the alarms are resolved.

Security systems can be interlocked to a building automation system. If occupancy sensors are
present, they can also be used as burglar alarms.

Fire and smoke alarm systems can be hard-wired to override building automation. For example:
if the smoke alarm is activated, all the outside air dampers close to prevent air coming into the
building, and an exhaust system can isolate the alarmed area and activate an exhaust fan to move
smoke out of the area. Life safety applications are normally hard-wired to a mechanical device to
override building automation control.

Room Automation
Room automation is the consolidation of one or more manual system in a room under
centralized control. It has less do to with HVAC and more to do with presentation systems within
a room.

The most common example of room automation is corporate boardroom, presentation suites, and
lecture halls, where the operation of the large number of devices that define the room function
(such as Videoconferencing equipment, Video projectors, lighting control systems, Public
address systems etc.) would make manual operation of the room very complex. It is common for
room automation systems to employ a touchscreen as the primary way of controlling each
operation.

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BACnet

BACnet is a Data Communications Protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks. It
is an ASHRAE, ANSI, and ISO standard protocol.

Definition of BACnet
BACnet, the ASHRAE building automation and control networking protocol, has been designed
specifically to meet the communication needs of building automation and control systems for
applications such as heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning control, lighting control, access
control, and fire detection systems and their associated equipment. The BACnet protocol
provides mechanisms by which computerized equipment of arbitrary function may exchange
information, regardless of the particular building service it performs. As a result, the BACnet
protocol may be used by head-end computers, general-purpose direct digital controllers, and
application specific or unitary controllers with equal effect.

History
The development of the BACnet protocol began in June, 1987, in Nashville, Tennessee, at the
inaugural meeting of the Standard Project Committee (SPC). H. Michael Newman, the first
chairman of the committee, presided over the meeting. The first meeting produced a list of
desirable attributes of a good protocol, and what the BACnet protocol eventually became:
Interoperability, Efficiency, Low Overhead, Highest Common Multiplier, Compatibility with
other applications and networks, Layered OSI model Network, Flexibility, Extensibility, Cost
Effective, Transmission Reliability, Apply to real-time processes, Maximum Simplicity, Allow
priority schemes, Medium access fairness, and Stability under realistic loads.

The committee worked at reaching consensus using working groups to divide up the task of
creating a standard. The working groups focused on specific areas and provided information and
recommendations to the main committee. The first three working groups were the Data Type and
Attribute Working Group, Primitive Data Format Working Group, and the Application Services
Working Group.

BACnet became ASHRAE/ANSI Standard 135 in 1995, and ISO 16484-5 in 2003. The Method
of Test for Conformance to BACnet was published in 2003 as BSR/ASHRAE Standard 135.1.

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BACnet is under continuous maintenance by the ASHRAE Standing Standard Project

Committee 135.

BACnet had an almost immediate impact on the HVAC controls industry, which by 1996 was
dominated by Siemens Building Technologies. Although several manufacturers had developed
BACnet devices, in 1996 a smaller company, Alerton, announced a complete BACnet product
line for HVAC controls, from the operator's workstation down to small VAV controllers.
Automated Logic Corporation and Delta Controls soon followed suit. Other current examples of
suppliers offering full lines of BACnet building automation products are Johnson Controls, Inc.,
Teletrol Systems, TAC, KMC Controls, Contemporary Controls Ltd and Reliable Controls.

H. Michael (Mike) Newman, Manager of the Computer Section of the Utilities and Energy
Management Department at Cornell University, served as the BACnet committee chairman until
June, 2000, when he was succeeded by his vice-chair of 13 years, Steven (Steve) Bushby from
NIST. During Steve Bushby's four-year term as committee chair the BACnet standard was
republished twice, in 2001 and 2004, each time with new capabilities added to the standard. The
2001 version featured, among other things, extensions to support fire / life-safety systems. In
June, 2004, 17 years after the first BACnet meeting and back in Nashville, William (Bill) Swan
(a.k.a. "BACnet Bill") from Alerton began his four-year stint as committee chair. During his
term the number of committee working groups grew to 11, pursuing areas such as support for
lighting, access control, energy utility/building integration and wireless communications.

In January of 2006 the BACnet Manufacturers Association and the BACnet Interest Group of
North America combined their operation in a new organization called BACnet International.

BACnet International is a broad-based member organization that encourages the successful use
of BACnet in building automation and control systems through interoperability testing,
educational programs and promotional activities. BACnet International members include
organizations involved or interested in the design, manufacturing, specification, installation,
commissioning and maintenance of building automation equipment that utilizes BACnet.

Protocol Overview
The BACnet protocol defines a number of services that are used to communicate between
building devices. The protocol services include Who-Is, I-Am, Who-Has, I-Have, which are used

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for Device and Object discovery. Services such as Read-Property and Write-Property are used
for data sharing.

The BACnet protocol defines a number of Objects that are acted upon by the services. The
objects include Analog Input, Analog Output, Analog Value, Binary Input, Binary Output,
Binary Value, Multi-State Input, Multi-State Output, Calendar, Event-Enrollment, File,
Notification-Class, Group, Loop, Program, Schedule, Command, and Device.

The BACnet protocol defines a number of data link / physical layers, including ARCNET,
Ethernet, BACnet/IP, Point-To-Point over RS-232, Master-Slave/Token-Passing over RS-485,
and LonTalk.

What Is BACnet?
BACnet is the term commonly used to refer to the ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 135- 1995, adopted
and supported by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of
Heating Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). BACnet stands for Building
Automation and Control network. BACnet is a true, non-proprietary open protocol
communication standard conceived by a consortium of building management, system users and
manufacturers.
The 500-page protocol specification is a detailed description of how a BACnet system is to
function. It identifies all the rules for system components to share data with each other, how this
is to be done, the communications media that can be used, which functions can be available, and
how this information is to be interpreted. In short, it sets the ground rules for various systems to
openly communicate with each other regardless of the manufacturer.
BACnet is an entirely non-proprietary system. This means that there are no proprietary chip sets
or protocols used. This differs from other systems, such as LonWorks™, which requires a
proprietary Neuron® chip to reside in each controller. Additional information regarding the
comparison of BACnet and LonWorks is contained in an online white paper.
There is often considerable confusion and misunderstanding regarding BACnet, other systems
and their compatibility with BACnet. The industry is in the process of learning this technology,
so it is important to understand the various levels and options available when interfacing a
system with BACnet.

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The Development of BACnet

For many years, as building automation systems became popular, more and more users were
demanding alternatives to proprietary systems, which prevented competitive bidding or
serviceability. They objected to being "locked in" to one particular manufacturer. A consensus
and industry attitude has been developing to respond to this need.
Most solutions to providing interoperability are proprietary gateways or converters. For instance,
one particular manufacturer may have found a way to read the code of another manufacturer and
produce a device that lets the two systems communicate. Sometimes the development is a
cooperative effort; other times it is not. The end result, however, is that one manufacturer could
provide either a new or different operator's terminal or global controller for a different
manufacturer's existing system.
This type of approach has specific restrictions. First, gateways and converters are expensive and
difficult to develop, even with the cooperative effort of another manufacturer and more so when
there is no cooperation. Second, these devices tend to have a very short life. Systems change
generations quickly, and the gateway often has to be redeveloped and upgraded for each
generation in order to remain effective. Third, these gateways can often be limited compared to
what a single manufacturer's system can provide. The seamless integration of full system
features is often not a reality. Support and documentation can be nearly impossible to keep up
with under the best of circumstances. Lastly, until BACnet, there was no industry standard by
which manufacturers could design a system to describe how it communicates, including the
message structures, communications mediums and processes that enable systems to interoperate.
Potential solutions other than BACnet also emerged. One is LonWorks, which is based on a
proprietary communications chip manufactured by the Echelon Corporation. LonWorks provides
for a method of communicating between devices, as long as the device employs the proprietary
LonWorks chip. This approach does not fully answer the technical requirements of a complete,
site-wide system nor the demand for a non-proprietary structure.
The industry needed a leader to step forward and set a standard. In 1987, the BACnet Committee
was formed and began to develop a standard that the industry could adopt. There were several
important goals to be achieved. Primarily, the standard had to be technically sound and truly
non-proprietary. It also had to be easy to implement. These were not easy goals to achieve;
however, in June 1995, after years of industry input and reviews, ASHRAE adopted BACnet as a
new standard for the industry

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What does BACnet do?

BACnet ends the frustration of proprietary systems, increases competitiveness and increases
consumer choices. The vision throughout the BACnet development process has been to generate
a system that permits complete "interoperability" between different manufacturer's building
automation control products. In reaching this goal, the BACnet Committee produced definition
standards for BACnet data, control and communication functions. In part, this was accomplished
by defining a number of Local Area Networks (LANS) through which BACnet messages can be
transmitted.
This variety of LANs defines a range of options for any given project. Briefly, they are as
follows:

PTP (point-to-point)
PTP is unique to BACnet and provides for internetworked communications over modems and
voice grade phone lines. PTP accommodates modern modem protocols (V.32bis and V.42) and
also supports direct cable connections using the EIA-232 signaling standard. Speed is limited to
from 9.6 kbit/s to 56.0 kbit/s. MS/TP (master slave/token passing) MS/TP is also unique to
BACnet and is implemented using the EIA-485 signaling standard. This is a shielded twisted-
pair (STP) LAN operating at speeds from 9.6 kbit/s to 76.0 kbit/s. This LAN type is low cost and
particularly suitable for unitary controller communications.

ARCNET (ANSI/ATA 878.1)

ARCNET® is a token bus standard, and devices typically support it using single-source chips
that handle network communications. ARCNET can run on a variety of media at different
speeds-from 150 kbit/s on EIA-485 (STP) up to 7.5 Mbit/s over coaxial cable, STP, or fiber
optics. Typically, ARCNET runs at 2.5 Mbit/s over twisted pair.

Ethernet (ISO 8802-3)

Ethernet is a popular international LAN standard widely deployed in commercial applications.
Ethernet is fast, running from 10 Mbit/s to 100Mbps (fast Ethernet), and runs on a variety of
media-STP, coaxial cable, or fiber optics. Like ARCNET, Ethernet requires a special chip to
handle network communications.
LONtalk

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LONtalk is a proprietary technology developed by the Echelon Corporation and is the only LAN
type that requires special development tools and a proprietary chip set to implement.

BACnet's Method of Exchanging Messages

In defining the format for BACnet communications, the Standards Committee chose a flexible,
object-oriented approach. All data in a BACnet system is represented in terms of "objects,"
"properties" and "services." This standard method of representing data and actions is what
enables BACnet devices from different manufacturers to interoperate. Understanding this object-
oriented approach and its terms is essential to understanding BACnet.

Objects
All information in a BACnet system is represented in terms of objects. An object might represent
information about a physical input or output, or it may represent a logical grouping of points that
perform some function, such as a setpoint. Every object has an identifier (such as AI-1) that
allows the BACnet system to identify it. In this regard, an object is much like what is now
commonly known as a "data point" in the HVAC community. Where an object differs from a
data point is that a data point would typically have a single value associated with it, whereas an
object consists of a number of prescribed properties, only one of which is the present value. It is
only through its properties that an object is monitored and controlled.
To help clarify this difference, compare the room temperature as a data point to an analog input
(AI) object that reports room temperature in a BACnet system. Both are associated with the
space temperature read from a physical input. When you reference the data point, however,
typically the only thing that it indicated was the room temperature, perhaps 72. The AI object
also reports the room temperature as 72. The key difference is that 72 is the Present-value
property of the AI-1 object. Other properties of the object convey more information: the Units
property tells the system that the value is in °, the Device-type property that the hardware is a
10kohms thermistor, and the Description property that it is a space temperature. As you can see,
the AI object is much more robust than the data point. All objects have some required properties
and some that are optional.
Properties
As indicated in the discussion of objects above, objects are monitored and controlled only
through their properties. BACnet specifies 123 properties of objects. Three properties-Object-
identifier, Object-name, and Object-type-must be present in every object. BACnet also may
require that certain objects support specific additional properties. The type of object and the type

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of device in which that object resides determine which properties are present. Some properties
can accept writes, and others can only be read.

Services
When a property is read or written to, that act is known as a service. Services are how one
BACnet device gets information from another device, commands a device to perform certain
actions (through its objects and properties, of course), or lets other devices know that something
has happened. The only service that is required to be supported by all devices is the Read-
property service. There are a total of 32 standard services.
As a system developer or user, you don't need to be concerned with the execution or processing
of service requests, which will be transparent and automatic. As a specifier or engineer, however,
you will need to know what objects and services are supported by which devices. This
information is found in the device's protocol implementation conformance statement (PICS).

Conformance Classes and the Device PICS

Because not all devices need to have the same level of functionality, BACnet defines
conformance classes that categorize the capabilities and functionality of devices. All devices of a
certain conformance class will have a minimum set of required features (in the form of objects
and services). Some other features can be optional. BACnet insists that this information is made
public in a protocol implementation conformance statement (PICS)-basically a list of features
that the device supports. The PICS lists what objects are present in the device and whether the
device initiates a service request (asks or commands) or executes the request (responds or acts).
The PICS also provides you with the conformance class of the device. By comparing a device's
PICS with project requirements or with another vendor's PICS, you can determine how well a
BACnet product "fits" a given application.

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