MODULE 25 – Engineering Utilities 2
Building Management System
Building Management System.
Building management system shortly known as BMS or sometimes referred as building
automation system or BAS is a computer-based control system that is installed in commercial and
industrial buildings to control and monitor the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment
such as lighting, power systems, HVAC, fire systems, and security systems. The major aim of the
BMS is to guarantee the safety of facility operation, while also monitoring and optimizing the
use and efficiency of its supervised subsystems to allow more efficient operation. Examples of
the major subsystems controlled by the BMS are:
1. HVAC System. The duct temperature, pressure, and humidity, as well as exhaust
temperature are connected to the BMS, and if their value exceeds defined limits, an
alarm is generated.
2. Central Fume Collection, Laminar Flow Units, Dust Collection System, Central
Vacuum System, Heat blowers. The BMS monitors the performance of these systems,
allowing for early identification of units requiring maintenance. Sudden breakdown
would signal via alarms and then appropriate action can be taken to protect the
product.
In fluid dynamics, laminar flow is
characterized by fluid particles following
smooth paths in layers, with each layer moving smoothly past the adjacent layers with little or
no mixing.
3. Technical Steam System.
Should, for instance, the pressure
or temperature in the piping
system fall below the defined
regulatory values for clean
steam, the BMS shall trigger an
alarm, indicating a threat to
product quality.
4. Hot Water System and Central Heating.
Temperature and pump control monitoring via the BMS allows for a proper
functioning of hot water distribution through the facility.
5. Chilled Water System.
Control of the facility
chillers could be
supervised by BMS to
monitor proper behavior of
the system in terms of
water/coolant temperature
control or pump control to
assure proper distribution
within the distribution
loop.
6. Sprinkler System (for fire safety).
Sprinkler are among the most popular and valuable fire protection systems.
A fire sprinkler system cools down a fire and prewets surrounding areas by
distributing water on them.
Water droplets from sprinkler systems help to reduce byproducts and weigh
down smoke particles to make it safer for occupants to breath and scape.
7. Electrical Monitoring System /
BMS may function as Energy Management and is defined as “ The strategy of
adjusting and optimizing energy, using systems and procedures so as to reduce energy
requirements per unit of output while holding constant or reducing total costs of
producing the output from these systems”
How Building Automation Systems Work
A building management system (BMS) is a computer-based control system that controls and
automates many aspects of a building, from fire and smoke detection to lighting and heating,
ventilation and air conditioning to video surveillance and security. Everything is
interconnected with a building management system with a goal toward streamlining and
improving your business’ efficiency. A modern, effective BMS can improve productivity,
save you money on operating costs, and ensure comfort and safety for the people working in
your building.
More specifically, a BMS can help you:
Manage illumination (lighting) – Monitor electricity consumption and control lighting
within your building
Cut energy costs – Manage electricity usage to different areas of your building
Maintain a comfortable atmosphere – Monitor climate, air flow and temperature
Keep your building secure – Monitor building security at entrances and exits, including
CCTV video surveillance, intrusion detection, motion sensors, turnstile control, access
doors and alarms
Protect employees in an emergency – BMS systems offer fire and smoke detection
Save on water costs – Monitor and control pump activity for water distribution in your
building
Manage elevators – Control and monitor elevators, including occupancy, movement
and security
Typical system components – BMS Hardware
SENSORS - Sensors are devices that collect data throughout your building. This data
may include information about temperatures, humidity or even room occupancy.
CONTROLLERS - Think of the controllers as the building automation system’s brain.
Based on data gathered from the system’s sensors, the controller decides on the best
course of action to keep the building operating in alignment with the preferences
decided by you when the BMS was set up.
OUTPUT DEVICES - Once the controllers collect the data and decide on adjustments
that need to be made, the commands are carried out by the output devices. This may
include relays and actuators.
USER INTERFACE - The user interface is how you will interact with the building
automation system by monitoring the data reported and accessing the BMS to change
settings if desired. This is usually accessible remotely via a mobile device such as a
smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Benefits of BMS
1. Energy Savings
A well-designed building
management system architecture can
result in energy savings of up to
30%, as well as lower maintenance
requirements. How? A BMS allows
you to control and monitor all the
electricity used to heat, cool and light
your building and run its equipment.
With this real-time information, you
have the opportunity to respond
quickly to changes in energy demand
and reports on energy use over time.
2. Improve air quality and employee
comfort –
Building management systems can monitor and control air quality and protect
occupants against harmful pollutants, gases and smoke.
3. Adjust humidity and ventilation –
BMS can decrease the costs of your air conditioning and heating by making them more
efficient. A BMS makes it easy to schedule your building’s air conditioning to work at
a different temperature on specific days and at specific times.
4. Adapt lighting –
Automatically shut down lighting, air conditioning or heating in unoccupied areas and
during scheduled times of the day or night. Adjust blinds and shutters to manage
sunlight with the touch of a button.
5. Ensure proactive maintenance –
A BMS can help you identify when a repair or maintenance is necessary, or predict
equipment failure before a crisis occurs.
6. Enhance Building Security and Safety –
An integrated building security system will ensure building occupants remain safe and
your structure, resources and assets are well-protected. A BMS system can offer:
7. Traffic control –
Building and elevator access control can help steer transient traffic and personnel
through your building, open up evacuation routes during emergencies, and deny access
to restricted areas
8. Fire and smoke detection –
A BMS provides an early warning system for fire and smoke and can even be set up to
provide employees with a clear path to exit the building in an emergency.
9. Reduce the risk of criminal activity –
Closed circuit television (CCTV) video surveillance can improve security, allowing
your managers to monitor and control security issues in real-time. This superior
intrusion control can help guard against break-ins.
10. Safeguard against hacking –
BMS can provide extra security for IT data centers to protect against hackers.
11. Convenience and Flexibility -
A building management system connects all the networks in your building into one
automated system. This allows managers to monitor and analyses data, and access and
control any area of your structure or property from one centralized location or off-site
via cloud technology. Ultimately, this centralized, user-friendly system makes
managing your building easier. Best of all, it can be customized and adapt to your needs
as they evolve.
12. Reduce operating Cost -
All of the benefits mean that BMS can increase your business’ operational efficiency.
By creating a well-optimized environment, you can increase staff productivity and
reduce the costs of running and maintaining your building.
13. Real-time alerts –
Automatic alerts give you the time needed to take swift action and solve problems.
14. Improved decision-making – Arm your managers with the right information.
15. Automated efficiency – Equipment switches off when not needed.
End of Module…. Thank you and stay safe.
Engr. GEORGE P. ALONZO
Professional Electrical Engineer