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Solution

HVACR system is isolated by the area it serves.
Phase 1 could have had its own BACnet/IP ring,
phase 2 its own as well as phase 3. As each
area had been completed, all devices could
have been discovered and commissioned with
the redundancy of the BACnet/IP ring. As the
following phases were added, each would
have its own ring to connect to the supervisor.
As issues arise from the construction or
commissioning process, only areas involved
© ABB
would have been exposed, leaving the existing
networks unaffected.
BAS stopping and starting the fans. Providing public. In a case like this, ABB confirmed the new
this information to the controls contractor, they firmware did not negatively impact the network While it is inconvenient for the facilities team
were able revise the programming and use the and existing devices as well as working with the working to understand where issues are to
BACnet point BV0 running status for each drive BAS to discover the new BACnet/IP points and trace down with the single ring network, the
status, providing a better design of the fan array. confirm they were reading as expected. advantages of the multiple BACnet/IP ring
topology could have been leveraged to make
Finally, to help offset the electrical demands BACnet/IP Connectivity the system more robust during construction,
of the facility, 332 kW of solar panels are also commissioning and possibly future expansions.
installed on the building roof. After the first Tying together all the HVACR equipment, lighting
year of operation, the solar system generated controls, monitoring and alarms is the ABB Building Analytics
413 MWh of power for the facility, saving Smart Buildings INTEGRA building automation
approximately 640,000 pounds of CO . Through system connected to each piece of equipment With the focus on energy and operational
2
the integration of the BAS, a future phase of the over BACnet/IP. Ring topology was implemented efficiency, the building’s design roadmap is to
project will combine data from the integrated looping around the building from the supervisor showcase and leverage analytics to continuously
power meters with the power factor correction panel through the chiller plant and AHU, to the optimize the building’s performance. Using
capabilities of active front end drives to further VAV boxes and terminal controllers, out to the the BAS and equipment communicating over
improve building energy efficiency. production area RTUs as well as the R&D space. BACnet/IP, the monitoring data, trends, active
While the final design may work with many setpoints, energy consumption and more is
Redundant Equipment Benefits devices all interconnected, this topology leads to continuously collected to understand how the
difficulties during the phased construction. building is operating. From the chiller’s geo-loop
The office area central plant design includes energy meter, to the building’s electrical power
N+1 pumps programmed from the BAS to rotate For example, with two links of the BACnet/IP meters, energy data available from the VFDs,
operation and provide redundancy in case of any cabling leaving the supervisor’s rapid spanning the lighting system occupancy sensors, the VAV
failure or planned down time for maintenance. tree protocol ethernet switch, the phase 3 zone temperature sensors and the rooftop solar
To further take advantage of this design, ABB’s R&D area was incomplete with devices not energy being produced, the information will be
R&D group can test new firmware versions in a installed closing the link in the ring. Several used to adjust temperature or pressure setpoints
live system before release. For example, when a production area RTUs have needed additional and occupancy schedules to reduce energy
new addition to the BACnet/IP fieldbus adapter commissioning and when these units have needs without negatively impacting office space
was ready, the adapter was applied to drives in been shut down, many other devices go offline comfort or production area requirements.
the mechanical room for real world verification as well. While this may be common during the
and testing, before making it available to the construction process, phase 2 included ramping This new building was designed to accommodate
up manufacturing production. It was becoming ABB’s current needs and future growth, as the
more critical for the HVACR equipment to products manufactured in this facility support
be online, not only for occupancy but also the HVACR industry’s demand for efficiency and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR production quality control. sustainability. From the flexible workspaces in the
offices, the adaptable production area utilizing
Starting with ABB in 2022, I have been As a lesson learned on the project, an ideal advancements in automation, and the efficient
working in the HVAC industry since 2015. opportunity for BACnet/IP and a phased HVACR systems with BACnet integration, the
My background has been HVAC equipment construction would have been to implement building meets today’s demand while being
and Building Automation System design, several network rings. Each phased construction flexible to tackle tomorrow’s challenges.
programming, implementation, startup,
commissioning, training and support. With
ABB, I am an HVACR Application Engineer
and I support our Channel Partners with
complex drive applications and answer Will Brewer
questions assisting with variable frequency HVACR Application Engineer | ABB
drives in the HVACR market. will.r.brewer@us.abb.com | www.abb.com/global/en/areas/motion/drives

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