BSEE


By Andrew Boothroyd, energy upgrade and service director, Armstrong Fluid Technology, highlights an alternave pump based approach to data collecon for energy upgrades, which has the advantage of providing enhanced informaon on system demand and performance


multiple metering devices. Whilst this provides the system designer with baseline information, it may not be the most effective way of approaching the collection of information. This traditional approach has a number of shortcomings. Firstly, the system designer may require more accurate and detailed information than the flow meters are capable of providing. Secondly, and most importantly, investment in metering and monitoring, in itself, is incapable of achieving energy and cost savings during the (often long, and protracted) design stage. In this article I am going to look at an alternative pump-based approach to data collection for energy upgrades, which has the advantage of providing enhanced information on system demand and performance, at the same time as making it possible for energy savings to be achieved throughout the entire design stage for the upgrade. In addition to delivering actual, quantifiable cost-savings ahead of implementation, this approach facilitates best-in-class system design by harnessing the capabilities of the pump’s embedded software and connectivity. So, what does a typical project roadmap look like?


W Traditional approach qFigure 1


Figure 1 shows a typical roadmap for an energy upgrade project with the following key components: Months 1-6: The initial six months involve the installation of flow meters to collect data from the existing plant, in order to provide the information needed to design the new system. Months 6-9: A data analysis phase usually follows, in which the system designer takes the collected data and uses it to drive design decisions. Months 9-12: In this period, potential technology solutions are discussed and a business plan is developed. Months 12-18: Typically, stakeholders will need to review the business plan in order to make financial decisions and sign-off on the expenditure. If projects are linked to an annual budget cycle this stage may take longer. It may also be necessary to allow time for consultation with building occupiers, or to enable an extensive network of stakeholders to be kept abreast of developments.


hen upgrading or replacing HVAC systems the traditional


approach is to collect data via


Implementation: Eventually the project will be given the go-ahead to proceed (typically 18 months after initial discussions). The work is carried out and, after installation and commissioning, the new system will begin to deliver cost-savings.


Pumpbased data collection approach


With the latest generation of intelligent HVAC pumps, there is a far better way of collecting data in advance of an energy upgrade. The pump’s embedded software for monitoring and reporting performance after installation can also collect and report data more accurately than a flow meter, facilitating more informed system design. So, by approaching the energy upgrade in phases, and installing the new pumps ahead of the rest of the project, and using them to supply the necessary data, building owners and occupiers could be saving energy from day one, month one of the initial discussions.


The key to this approach is that it provides the high level of pump performance data that you are used to working with ahead of the


implementation of the energy upgrade as a whole, so you have a more comprehensive and robust basis on which to design the system. Now, what would this alternative project roadmap look like? Figure 2 compares the traditional investment stream with the pump- based data-collection approach. Months 1-6: With this scenario, key pumps are replaced as part of the larger energy upgrade project. The associated costs of this element of the work make up a very small percentage of the overall project costs. Bringing forward the pump replacement works and installing pumps with advanced performance management software allows up to 10 per cent of the total system energy to be saved ahead of full implementation. In order to collect the data, of course, the pumps must have the appropriate performance monitoring and connectivity technology built-in. This does not have to involve bespoke design. All Armstrong Gen5 pump models, for example, have these capabilities resident as standard, to facilitate performance monitoring after installation. The pumps are selected against the actual installed conditions, the system is recommissioned and set to work at the point originally intended by the system designer, following a process of opening the system regulating valves and making use of the on-board variable frequency drive to fine tune the performance of each pump. Months 1-6: The embedded technology continuously measures the pump flow, head and power. These data can be used in conjunction with system temperatures to generate a system-specific load profile and harvest much of the data traditionally acquired through the data acquisition phase of the upgrade process. Months 6-12: The building and load- specific information obtained through the pump’s advanced performance management software can then assist the system-designer with the selection


of main plant equipment. The quality and accuracy of the data also helps the system designer to determine which system modifications will be the most beneficial, enabling capital expenditure cost-saving opportunities to be identified.


As the newly-installed pumps begin to save energy as soon as they are installed, regular measurable energy savings are achieved throughout the design process. These early system improvements can be demonstrated to stakeholders, helping to build credibility and confidence. In effect, as the project has been broken down into smaller sub projects and is


demonstrating an improved cash flow, the business case for the energy upgrade begins to write itself.


qFigure 2


PUMPS


Driving bestinclass system design through pumpbased data collection


Months 12-18: When the business case is presented to stakeholders, and those with budgetary control, the figures provided include actual cost-savings that have been achieved since month one, not just theoretical savings based on calculations. The financial benefits can be considerable. As Figure 3 demonstrates, simply comparing the impact of pump-based data collection with the traditional flow meter roadmap conveys significant savings, even before implementation of the energy upgrade as a whole. In addition, the more detailed data achieved using advanced pump performance software, compared to raw data from flow meters, means that the resulting system design is based on more robust foundations with a clearer vision of the best ways to invest in new plant. Perhaps the most important advantage of pump-based data collection, however, will relate to the energy and cost-savings the HVAC designer is able to deliver through best- in-class system design, assisted by more detailed information on building demand and performance during the data collection phase.


www.armstrongfluidtechnology.com 20 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER APRIL 2019 Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


pFigure 3


‘


The most important advantage of pumpbased data collecon will relate to the energy and costsavings


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