Articles

A.V. Kovalchuk, Leading Software Engineer of Techinservice MG

A.Yu. Dagaev, Head of Software Department of Techinservice MG

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The need to create the building management system arises at sites with a wide range of engineering equipment. Implementation of the building management system allows optimizing the operation of engineering systems depending on environmental conditions, time of the day, etc. The building management system minimizes the percentage of environmental abundance. Moreover, a detailed monitoring is carried out, which allows to significantly reduce the cost for heat and energy resources obtaining the additional income.

When creating building management systems, Techinservice provides continuous monitoring and diagnostics of the whole infrastructure, giving the customer's technical services complete control over the equipment not only from the operator's automated workstation, but also provides an opportunity to monitor the operation modes via the secure Internet channels.

The building management system of the Data Processing Centers (DPC)

These subsystems are usually implemented by more than one contractor, which leads to the need to use gateways between the devices of different types and bring them to a single network solution.
So, at one of the facilities, Techinservice managed to unite the air conditioning system using the LON bus controllers network, the extinguishing subsystem using BacNet network, the switchboard rooms with electric meters of Modbus network, the weather station with its internal protocol, etc. and bring them to the Modbus TCP/IP protocol.

A distinctive feature of the implementation of the building management system by Techinservice is a modularity of the system, which makes it possible to scale the system with little effort, to replace the failed equipment as soon as possible. It also contributes to the easy training of maintenance staff.
Techinservice has developed multimedia components which allow classifying all alarm messages by hazard levels and groups that enables to sort them according to the necessary criteria, to track repeatability and to locate the cause of their occurrence without hindrance.

Fig. 3. Alarm history

The multimedia components also include:
• Event log which allows tracking actions taken by staff.
• Reports of two types: shift and analysis.
• Billing, which is designed for automated accounting of services provided, their pricing and invoicing customers for payment.
• History of the process which allows viewing the variables change history as well as their further statistical analysis.

Fig. 4. Billing system

To provide access to the building management system from the Internet, a Web-server with an external (for the Internet network) or internal (if an access is restricted only by the local area network of the enterprise) IP-address is organized on one of the computers of the system. At the same time, to view the screen forms from anywhere on the Internet on the customer computer, no additional software is required (one-time installation of the ActiveX component), as all the screen forms open in the Internet browser window after entering the required address and passing the password authentication.
The functionality of such a remote workstation can be built in such a way that it will be completely identical to the operator's workstation.

Building management system

The infrastructure of each building assumes the presence of a variety of essential services in it, the task of which is to provide electricity supply, water supply, sewage, fire protection, security alarm, video surveillance, etc. The building management of engineering systems allows arranging automated management of these systems and processing equipment, significantly increases the safety and reliability of its operation, and in many cases reduces operating costs.
In 2012, Techinservice participated in the development and implementation of the building management system of the largest in Ukraine shopping and entertainment center Ocean Plaza.
The created system takes into account the following economic advantages of the implementation of automation and building management systems:
• energy savings (electricity, heat, water and gas);
• reduction of maintenance personnel;
• reduction of costs for maintenance, repair and replacement of the engineering equipment;
• reduction of damage from accidents due to their prevention and timely detection;
• increase of the service life of processing equipment by taking into account the time of operation and uniform use of its remaining life;

Fig. 5. Mnemonic scheme of the ventilation chamber

• reduction of costs under the service agreements due to minimization of works scopes due to the constant control and recording of the parameters of the operating conditions of the equipment;
• improving the reliability of operation of the engineering systems of the building due to the use of automation equipment from a single vendor;
• expandability of the system in the future;
• possibility of combining several objects into a network;
• availability, ease of use, reduction of requirements for the technical level of staff;
• capability to meet the energy limits;
• increase of comfort and safety levels inside the building.

Fig. 6. Mnemonic scheme of the distribution substation