Hydronic chilled and condensing water systems are two distinct systems. A typical chilled water system (CHWS) consists of chillers (that use refrigerant to cool a closed loop of circulating water known as the "chilled water") and pumps to distribute the chilled water to other equipment in the building and/or to circulate water through the chillers. Typically, air-side equipment (e.g., AHU, FCU) contains chilled water coils connected to the main CHWS; as air passes over the chilled water coils it is cooled. As chilled water systems cool the chilled water, they must reject the heat absorbed from the chilled water loop. In a CHWS with "air-cooled" chillers, the heat is rejected directly into the atmospehre. In a CHWS with "water-cooled" chillers, the heat is rejected to another water distribution system (typically a condensing water system).
Condensing water systems (CDWS) serve those mechanical devices which rely on water-source heat rejection. Typical condensing water systems consist of open-air cooling towers (which reject the heat absorbed from the condensing water into the atmosphere) and pumps to circulate the condensing water between the cooling towers and the condenser side of a water-cooled chiller.
There are many different types of chilled and condenser water system configurations; some common examples include the following:
- Constant volume: the system pumps run at a constant speed to provide fixed flowrates at pre-defined stages (predominantly on condensing water systems)
- Variable-primary: there is a single (primary) loop between the chillers and the end-devices and the system pumps operate at variable speed (typically controlling to a differential pressure setpoint)
- Primary/Secondary: there are two separate loops, with the primary loop serving as the "production" loop (the chillers) and the secondary loop serving as the distribution loop (to downstream end-devices).
- Chillers (CH) require the mechanical cooling of water.
- Condensers require that, regardless of their own cooling method (sensible or evaporative), they serve downstream devices which require water as a condensing source.
- Heat exchangers (HX) provide heat transfer between two fluid streams, without intermixing the fluids. They are modeled separately only if they are stand-alone devices.
- The equipment which is part of each system should be assigned a
HAS_PART
connection to it. - The specific interconnections between equipment in the system can also be defined through
FEEDS
connections. In these cases, it is best to feed from the pumps. - To simplify distribution specifics, the system (rather than the system pumps) should be used to feed downstream equipment.
This version of CHWS has a single set of variable speed pumps which serve air-cooled chillers and downstream equipment.
- The fields associated with individual devices (e.g., individual chiller commands) get mapped to those devices; system level telemetry (e.g., the system return water temperature) gets assigned to the system directly.
# System definition. Everything that it serves will be fed by it, everything that comprises it will be contained by it.
CHWSYS-BLDG-1:
cloud_device_id: 1234
type: HVAC/CHWS_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.sys_swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.sys_swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
differential_pressure_sensor:
present_value: points.sys_dp.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.sys_dp.units
values:
pascals: 'Pa'
...
# Plant equipment, all contained by the system.
# Various interconnections between the pumps and the chillers can also be defined as feeds connections.
CH-1:
cloud_device_id: 2345
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
PMP-1: FEEDS
PMP-2: FEEDS
type: HVAC/CH_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
...
PMP-1:
cloud_device_id: 3456
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
type: HVAC/PMP_...
translation:
run_command:
present_value: points.cmd.present_value
states:
OFF: 'false'
ON: 'true'
...
PMP-2:
cloud_device_id: 4567
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
type: HVAC/PMP_...
translation:
run_command:
present_value: points.cmd.present_value
states:
OFF: 'false'
ON: 'true'
...
# Equipment served by the chilled wwater system.
FCU-1:
cloud_device_id: 5678
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: FEEDS
type: HVAC/FCU_DFSS_DFVSC_...
translation:
chilled_water_valve_percentage_command:
present_value: points.clg_valve_percentage_command.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.clg_valve_percentage_command.units
values:
percent: '%'
...
AHU-1:
cloud_device_id: 6789
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: FEEDS
type: HVAC/AHU_DFSS_...
translation:
chilled_water_valve_percentage_command:
present_value: points.chwv.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.chwv.units
values:
percent: '%'
...
This version of CHWS has a single set of variable speed chilled water pumps serving water-cooled chillers and downstream equipment. The condensing side serves the chillers via two pumps.
- This example includes a parallel air-cooled chiller. It is simple enough to add; it doesn't change the way the rest of the system is modeled.
# Chilled water system feeds the equipment, and contains the distribution/production equipment.
CHWSYS-BLDG-1:
cloud_device_id: 1234
connections:
CDWSYS-BLDG-1: FEEDS
type: HVAC/CHWS_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.sys_swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.sys_swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
differential_pressure_sensor:
present_value: points.sys_dp.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.sys_dp.units
values:
pascals: 'Pa'
...
# Condenser wawter system feeds the chilled water system,
CDWSYS-BLDG-1:
cloud_device_id: 2345
type: HVAC/CDWS_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.sys_swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.sys_swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
...
# Equipment contained by chilld water system.
# Various interconnections between the pumps and the chillers can also be defined as feeds connections.
CH-1:
cloud_device_id: 3456
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
CWP-4: FEEDS
type: HVAC/CH_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
...
CH-2:
cloud_device_id: 4567
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
CWP-3: FEEDS
type: HVAC/CH_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
...
ACC-1: # Note: this is a non-compliant equipment name, which may exist in brownfield sites.
cloud_device_id: 5678
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
type: HVAC/CH_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
...
CHWP-1:
cloud_device_id: 6789
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
CH-1: FEEDS
CH-2: FEEDS
CHWP-7: FEEDS
type: HVAC/PMP_...
translation:
run_command:
present_value: points.cmd.present_value
states:
OFF: 'false'
ON: 'true'
...
CHWP-2:
cloud_device_id: 7890
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
CH-1: FEEDS
CH-2: FEEDS
CHWP-7: FEEDS
type: HVAC/PMP_...
translation:
run_command:
present_value: points.cmd.present_value
states:
OFF: 'false'
ON: 'true'
...
CHWP-7:
cloud_device_id: 8901
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
ACC-1: FEEDS
type: HVAC/PMP_...
translation:
run_command:
present_value: points.cmd.present_value
states:
OFF: 'false'
ON: 'true'
...
# Condensing water system equipment.
CT-1:
cloud_device_id: 9012
connections:
CDWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
CWP-3: FEEDS
CWP-4: FEEDS
type: HVAC/CT_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
...
CT-2:
cloud_device_id: 11234
connections:
CDWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
CWP-3: FEEDS
CWP-4: FEEDS
type: HVAC/CT_...
translation:
supply_water_temperature_sensor:
present_value: points.swt.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.swt.units
values:
degrees_fahrenheit: 'deg-F'
...
CWP-3:
cloud_device_id: 12234
connections:
CDWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
type: HVAC/PMP_...
translation:
run_command:
present_value: points.cmd.present_value
states:
OFF: 'false'
ON: 'true'
...
CWP-4:
cloud_device_id: 12334
connections:
CDWSYS-BLDG-1: HAS_PART
type: HVAC/PMP_...
translation:
run_command:
present_value: points.cmd.present_value
states:
OFF: 'false'
ON: 'true'
...
# Equipment served by the chilled wwater system.
FCU-1:
cloud_device_id: 12344
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: FEEDS
type: HVAC/FCU_...
translation:
chilled_water_valve_percentage_command:
present_value: points.clg_valve_percentage_command.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.clg_valve_percentage_command.units
values:
percent: '%'
...
AHU-1:
cloud_device_id: 12345
connections:
CHWSYS-BLDG-1: FEEDS
type: HVAC/AHU_...
translation:
chilled_water_valve_percentage_command:
present_value: points.chwv.present_value
units:
key: pointset.points.chwv.units
values:
percent: '%'
...
Note: All BMS screenshots taken from Google's WebCTRL instances. WebCTRL is a building automation system owned by Automated Logic.