FEATURE
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Information collected from several devices is
analysed in a main/central control room.
A BMS can furthermore automate some control strategies,
such as turning equipment on or off according to a time
schedule. They allow operators at the BMS work station
to view key information about the building and give them
control over some of the equipment in the building.
A building’s BMS will maintain and provide an audit of what
happened and when it happened. It keeps historical data for
selected information (like temperatures or humidity levels).
Alerts are given to the operators when readings fall outside
a normal range.
By implementing this technology, a BMS saves human
resources, enhances the productivity of occupants
(especially in office environments), prolongs equipment life,
and most importantly, saves energy.
EDUCATION
Chris Kyle, general manager at Calafrica Hydronic
Solutions, says these are systems that are specified
and installed into water supply installations of buildings.
These systems transmit notifications of the performance
of the water reticulation system and its components to
a centrally located control and monitoring room where
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information is logged and displayed on an enunciator
and data panel.
“The BMS would, for example, sense the water temperature
in hot water storage vessels and elsewhere in the hot water
reticulation system. This is important in terms of legionella
control while also forewarning of an impending system fault
or notifying of a present fault in the hot water generation
system. Another example would be to monitor the level
of water in a reserve water supply tank, as well as the
performance of delivery and hot water circulation pumps
and so on.”
“It would indicate a fault in that system. For example, if
the temperature dropped below the desired level, a BMS
would notify an enunciator that there is a fault there. BMS
systems are also used in terms of water supply at water
meters, where electronic sensors are used. That information
is transferred to the central control room where it can be
monitored,” he says.
Volumes of water can be measured, for example, on the
incoming mains supply. “The building would have a bulk
water meter, which sends a signal or information to the
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January 2018 Volume 23 I Number 11