FACILITIES ENGINEERING®
Silicon Valley Chapter Mission Statement: To strengthen and grow the Silicon Valley Facilities community, by providing cutting-edge educational events, professional certification, training, and a network of industry professionals to promote and enhance the careers of our members. Silicon Valley Chapter 39 $6 plus S&H
January Event:
Lunch & Learn: New Title 24 – Data Center Monitoring Cyberswitching solutions to the 2014 code updates: • Plug load and control • Demand response • Load separation, monitoring, and reporting • Priority driven electrical architectures • Power Security and reliability • Future smart building applications
For additional information on the 2014 Lunch & Learn Program, turn to page 5.
w ww.afe39.org
Nov-Dec 2013
AFE Silicon Valley Chapter
Lunch & Learn Title 24 Data Center Monitoring Thurs., January 23 11:30 am– 1:30 pm Location:
Kyoto Palace Restaurant 1875 S Bascom Ave, Campbell, CA 95008 Cost: $25 AFE Members; $35 Non-Members To Register: http://afesiliconvalley.eventbright.com
Marrying Mechanical Systems & Controls
Part: 1 Identifying points-of-failure in your next project By: Zach Denning
When it comes to implementing a building automation system (BAS) the difference between a newly constructed and renovated facility vastly differ. Controls contractors traditionally choose different paths for upgrading the DDC in a renovation scenario as outlined in the article DDC Integrations – The End User Manual. Yet, for a new construction, install strategies become more generalized between controls contractors. So what can you expect for your building? What are the pitfalls of typical automation installations for a new facility? Are there ways to identify and reduce points-of-failure within your construction project? At the time DDC systems first debuted in the world of building automation they were bulky, sophisticated, and a world apart from their pneumatic counterpart. Large companies like Honeywell and Johnson Controls adapted DDC into their automation portfolio and went to work simplifying the hardware and software to reduce operational costs associated with their products. During the first decade of the DDC phenomenon, controls contractors were introduced to systems that ranged in size and complexity; Dealing with everything from complicated DOS based line-by-line programming to what many identify now as “visual programming.
So what are the differences with systems now after more than two decades of development? Most popular BAS systems found in the market today share one common similarity:They are simple to install in a new building. If DDC is simple to install, it’s also likely to be simple for an end user to understand and possibly replace; An invaluable tool allowing an end user to alleviate contractor reliability in their facility. Because most popular control systems are generally straightforward and robust, controls contractors adopt the similar strategies when considering installation paths. So if DDC manufacturers have optimized the hardware to decrease installation issues, where can a project fail? The most common misinterpretation of BAS in a new facility is that problems arise because of the DDC hardware. Granted, some installs suffer from unforeseen factory failures, but most controllers are factory tested to alleviate hardware complications.Therefore, in many of the new automation installations, problems are formed not by the controls systems themselves but by the installing contractor. Maybe the system was wired incorrectly or controllers were Continued on page 8