MECH3023: Building Energy Management and Control Systems

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Hardware Components

1.  Control Fundamentals

• Definitions and terminology
• Control system components
• Sensing elements, controllers, actuators, auxiliary equipment
• Characteristics and attributes of control methods
• Pneumatic
• Electric
• Electronic
• Microprocessor

2.  The Basics

• Six steps of HVAC DDC system design
• System schematic
• Control point designations
• Point list
• DDC system architecture
• Sequence of operation
• Specifications
• DDC controllers
• Uninterruptable power supply (UPS) and operator machine interface (OMI)
• Smart sensors and actuators
• Types of DDC controllers
• Application specific, general purpose, programmable logic
• Basics of HVAC controls
• Commonly used control systems
• Control actions
• Control loops

3.  Design Principles

• Control valves
• Types of control valves
• Flow characteristics
• Location of two-way and three-way control valves
• Selection of modulating control valves
• Sizing of control valves
• Control dampers
• Types of control dampers
• Flow characteristics
• Parallel blade vs. opposed blade
• Sizing of control damper and actuator
• Damper leakage

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References:

• Honeywell, 1997. Engineering Manual of Automatic Control for Commercial Buildings - Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning, SI Edition., Honeywell, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, pp. 30-35, 427-440, 448-464. [PDF]
• Shadpour, F., 2001. The Fundamentals of HVAC Direct Digital Control: Practical Applications and Design, 2nd ed., Chapters 1-3 & 9-11, Hacienda Blue, Escondido, CA. [697 S52]
• Spitzer, D. W., 2002. Selecting flow measurement devices, HPAC Engineering, 74 (12): 52-59.

Useful Tool:

• ASHRAE SI Guide Conversion. (for converting non-SI units to metric)

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| Created: Nov 2005 | Update: 5 Jan 2008 | By: cmhui@hku.hk |