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Integration Successes
Published in Building Operating Management, April 1998
A diverse range of projects are being designed to mix and
match building components from different vendors
Building owners and facility managers want flexible, cost-saving control
networks that offer the same interoperability as stereo components.
Consumers plug stereo equipment together without worrying about which
company manufactured the receiver, speakers or CD player. They know the
different systems will interoperate.
A growing number of facility executives are finding the answer in
LONMARK’ certified products. With products displaying the LONMARK
logo, building owners can mix and match components from different vendors
to obtain what fits best with their needs and budgets. Interoperability means a
wider choice of control products, lower installation costs, lower maintenance
and expansion costs, and lower operating costs. The following applications
illustrate the management and operational flexibility and efficiency inherent in
this state-of-the-art building system integration technology.
Not just a quick fix, access control system lays
groundwork for future controls network
The future is now for the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC).
The primary provider of automobile insurance in British Columbia has hitched
a ride to the leading edge of building controls technology with an integrated
LONWORKS’ control network. The companies providing a big boost in
helping ICBC get there are Motorola's Indala Corporation and ALYA
Systems, Inc.
Eight years ago, ICBC would never have guessed it would be one of the first
companies in North America to adopt a proximity access control system
based on an important new building control standard. At the time, the
organization had been content to operate separate HVAC, lighting and
elevator systems. But then its access control system - a proprietary-based
card swipe system - crashed.
To begin making intelligent buildings a reality, ICBC evaluated several
different backbone communication strategies. The winner was LONWORKS
because it featured an open architecture. Through the LONMARK standard,
ICBC will be able to use equipment from different manufacturers and get
them to not only work together but also share network wiring.
To lay the groundwork for its future LONWORKS control network and solve
its access control problems at the same time, ICBC chose to install
OPENcentrix, an advanced LONWORKS-based security management system
from ALYA systems, a division of ALYA International Inc., and new
LONWORKS-based proximity access control readers and cards from Indala
Corporation, a subsidiary of Motorola, Inc.
Alya's OPENcentrix is designed to provide building security for governments,
corporations and airports. The system provides security coverage over large
geographical areas using the end users' present communications infrastructure,
and is fully interoperable with a wide range of building automation products.
ICBC combines the OPENcentrix access control system with Indala's new
LONWORKS-based proximity access control products. Indala is the first
company to integrate proximity access control technology and door entry into
a LONWORKS-based device.
ICBC uses Indala's new LONWORKS Remote Electronics, an access control
device that provides an intelligent interface between an Indala proximity
reader and LONWORKS control network.
Lighting plan simplifies wiring
When the Air National Guard unit based in Indianapolis decided to build a
combined support maintenance shop, Major Randle Reed knew that one of
the lighting control requirements was to have a single switch to turn off all
lights when the building was closed for the night. This same switch needed to
turn on just the hallway lights when the first person arrived in the morning.
Because the building was being constructed rather than retrofitted, the
concept could have been executed with extra wiring to the building's 18 panel
boards. But connecting the wires across so many locations would have
increased labor costs.
So the National Guard opted for Powerlink AS, a LONMARK lighting control
system offered by Square D Co. that offers a complete control system that fits
into a standard circuit breaker panelboard. The power interface module uses
available panel voltage to provide the low-level power the system requires for
operation. The control module configures the breaker operations and
provides time of day capabilities when required. The full system fits into a
standard panelboard, eliminating the need for lighting relay, timer and lighting
contactor cabinetry.
At this location, 18 Powerlink AS panelboards are loaded with individual
circuit breakers. By linking the panels with LONWORKS, the wiring was
simplified and wiring time was reduced.
Once the decision to use LONWORKS was made, the Air National Guard
found other ways to take advantage of the technology. For example, wall
switches were changed to low voltage and tied into the system. In addition,
the garage door controls can be disabled at night for additional security.
Securing the garage doors also is important to prevent vehicle and armaments
theft.
Technology takes off at Texas school site
Fred Niccum, director of facility management for Clear Creek Independent
School District, Houston, is helping build schools of the future, today. Two
new intermediate schools, scheduled to open in the fall of 1999, will feature
totally integrated LONWORKS-based building automation systems. The
systems will include HVAC controls, lighting controls, and security/intrusion
control, and will also integrate the district's computerized maintenance
management system.
"Being geographically close to the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) means we're very open to technological innovation,"
says Niccum. "I have always been amazed at the quality and uniqueness of
the NASA engineers' involvement with space programs here in our district. I
am equally amazed at the technological prowess of the engineers at Applied
Computer Technologies (ACT) who have put this system together."
Niccum feels it would have taken another two or three years and more than a
half dozen installed proprietary controls systems if ACT, the system
integrator, hadn't told his organization about the system integration
opportunities represented by LONWORKS technology.
With one of the fastest growing districts in Texas, Niccum is responsible for
30 schools with more than 28,000 students and upwards of 3.3 million square
feet of space. The first Clear Creek schools to use LONWORKS were Hall
and Landolt Elementary. Implemented in 1997, these schools marked a
switch from proprietary to open systems.
"Hall and Landolt Elementary Schools have been up and running with this new
system since August 1997 and we are pleased with the results," says Niccum.
"Not only are we able to control our HVAC systems as in the past, but we
also have the capability to add a lighting control system, a security system, a
card access system and any other LONWORKS-based system," he adds.
According to Niccum, by using ACT's vendor-neutral open technology and
the LONWORKS-based interoperability standards, he could easily integrate
any new building systems with the existing framework.
Federal government begins Denver demonstration project
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Denver Center, is currently
implementing a LONWORKS interoperability demonstration control system.
The project, being done by EMC Engineers Inc., involves developing and
demonstrating a complex and comprehensive automation control system using
interoperable components from multiple suppliers, implemented by EMC as
an independent systems integrator. Both utility and facility systems are being
monitored and controlled with the system.
Using Visual Control software from Dayton General Systems for node
programming and network management, and PerfectHost software from
Richards/Zeta Controls for supervisory control and operator interface, EMC
systems integrators are graphically programming the first and largest building
for DFAS: more than 600,000 square feet. The initial system consists of 47
routers, 48 channels and an average of 12 LONWORKS devices on each
channel for a total of 576 nodes. Ten channels are backbone channels for
building management and for future fire alarm and access control, operating at
1,250 kilobits per second speed. Remaining channels are 78 kbps free
topology configuration.
The project, started nearly one year ago, has completed almost all of the 28
air handling systems, two of the six main lighting zones, fire alarm interface,
and the new central control center. The project will continue integrating
remaining building systems and evaluating new hardware and software
development for the next two years.
EMC's system integration work in the main building includes 28 air handling
units, all lighting zones, fire alarm interface, three chillers, four boilers, two
uninterruptible power supplies, three generators, and a new central control
center. Outlying buildings will include air handlers, boilers, chillers, fire alarms,
lighting control and power distribution. The equipment will interface back to
the central control room using various data transmission media, from fiber
optics to radio frequency transmitters, for data communications.
Wells Fargo Bank Service Center keeps options open
The Wells Fargo Bank Service Center in Tempe, Ariz., recently installed an
Osmonics 2000 series water treatment controller system, which uses
LONWORKS technology. The Wells Fargo system uses an add-on network
attached externally to the controller so that additional LONMARK nodes can
be attached later. Future nodes could add new input and output parameters,
pump feed verifications, more power relays and more sensors to detect
conductivity or pH.
In this application, the LONMARK conductivity node is used to measure the
total dissolved solids of the incoming make-up water. The source water for
make-up often varies during the day or week, based on when the municipality
changes between its wells and reservoirs. This causes Wells Fargo to alter its
setting to adjust for widely varying total dissolved solid levels in the water.
Dissolved solids in incoming water are measured through the LONMARK
controller. The controller automatically alters water concentration cycles
based on preset information for acceptable ranges.
Wells Fargo chief engineer Draven Varicevic can oversee the system through
a personal computer installed in his office to keep track of all operating
parameters, as well as all logged information.
St. Louis airport upgrades EMS
Not all LONMARK upgrades need to happen immediately. Lambert (St. Louis
International Airport) is one of the largest airports in the United States. It
recently began a phased upgrade of its existing energy management system
using four workstations by Electronic Systems USA. Now, instead of being
locked into one building automation system supplier, the airport can take bids
from the companies it chooses.
The Unity system features a main user workstation in the main terminal, as
well as workstations in the west power station, the west power station's
manager's office and the east power station. These user locations are about
one-third of a mile from the main terminal and are connected through
short-haul modems.
Currently, the system is communicating with NexSys, Control Systems
International and Honeywell 1000 equipment. As part of the next phase, the
system also will communicate with Honeywell Excel Plus equipment. When
this phase is completed, approximately 50 percent of the air handling units and
ancillary mechanical equipment at the airport will enjoy the benefits of
interoperability.
Interoperability on trial
No one is charging the building automation system at the E.M. Dirksen
Federal Building in Chicago with contempt of court. Temperature complaints
from the federal courtrooms have been eliminated.
In the past, the operations and maintenance department was constantly
responding to temperature complaints. Often, manual adjustments were
necessary.
The new mechanical renovation and control system technology provides an
environment that is maintained within one degree of setpoint. In phase one,
Bogot Automation Systems installed Circon Technology Corporation's
LONMARK UHC controllers on 19 air handling units servicing the federal
courtrooms. Now, the Circon system is being expanded to control the large
air handling units that supply conditioned air to the variable air volume boxes
throughout the 1-million-square-foot building.
The second phase HVAC controls contract, which was competitively bid,
primarily addresses variable air volume box control for floors one through 27.
Siebe Environmental Controls has installed approximately 700 intelligent
automation controllers and several hundred other LONMARK certified devices
from other manufacturers. The 1,000 intelligent devices work together,
serving about 8,000 monitoring and control points.
Consulting engineers Teng & Associates Inc., created system specifications
and engineered the network architecture to accommodate multi-phased
installation.
Based on the successful application of interoperable controls in the E.M.
Dirksen Federal Building, LONMARK control systems also are being used in
the nearby J.C. Klucynski Federal Building.
Control Engineering Corp. is currently installing a LONMARK system on four
floors occupied by the Internal Revenue Service. In the future, this system and
other LONMARK systems in the J.C. Klucynski Federal Building will be
integrated into the network architecture of the E.M. Dirksen Federal Building.
Genentech uses intranet for facilities management
When additional Siebe Environmental Controls equipment was installed into
the rapidly expanding Genentech campus in South San Francisco, the
controllers were linked into the facility management workstation using
LONWORKS. This approach not only ensured future compatibility with
LONMARK equipment, it also provided seamless management along with the
other equipment on the campus.
The project's only problem was the new equipment was located in buildings
far from the facility management center.
The problem was solved by using routers from Coactive Networks, which
connected the additional controllers into the campus-wide network.
Genentech's intranet included Ethernet subnets and a token ring backbone,
extending to every part of the corporate campus. By installing the routers in
the additional buildings, the facilities management workstation benefits from an
integrated view of the entire system using LONWORKS technology, while
avoiding the cost and reliability problems of a phone link.
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