# Presentation: 033961

## Short-term Diagnostic Testing for a Continuous Commissioning Program

- Fred Johnson, Department of Energy, Pantex Plant
- John Phelan, Architectural Energy Corporation
- Carter Ward, Energy Information Systems

- ASHRAE Winter Meeting
- January 2001

**Notes:**
Overview – This presentation explains the development of a Continuous Commissioning Program at Pantex Plant and the drivers that led to it as a solution for lack of funding.  

## Overview			  

- Pantex Plant Description
- DOE Requirements
- Energy Program and ESPC
- Conclusions
- Continuous Commissioning Program
- Goals and Objectives
- Methodology
- Preliminary Results

## Pantex Plant

- Department of Energy site located outside of Amarillo, Texas
- Over 16,000 acres with 500+ buildings, many of WWII vintage
- Final assembly/disassembly point for nuclear weapons

**Notes:**
Describe security requirements and how they impact getting anything done on site.

## Pantex Plant:  Systems

- Primarily multi-zone hot deck/cold deck, or subcool reheat
- 24-7 operation
- Pneumatic controls nonfunctional or intentionally defeated
- “Run to Failure” mode for HVAC
- Archaic “energy management system”

**Notes:**
Budget restrictions over the past 5 years have led to a “Run to Failure” mode on HVAC operations.  
The energy management system was specified in the mid 70’s and put out to bid in the mid 80’s.  The bid winner had to find a subcontractor willing to tool up to build 10-year-old out-of-date computer technology.  We use it for monitoring temperatures, but it does not manage any energy.  

## DOE Requirements

- Pantex is required to be in compliance with:
- Energy Policy Act of 1992
- Executive Order 13123, which supplanted Executive Order 12902
- Requires 35% BTU/sq ft/year reduction by 2005 from a 1985 baseline
- Reductions in greenhouse gases, water, petroleum, source energy
- Increases in uses of renewable energy sources, commissioning, sustainable building design
- Employ Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPC) as a financing tool

## Energy Program / ESPC

**Lack of funding for energy projects led to **
**1) LO/NO cost internal program**
**2) ESPC**
**Low Cost No Cost Program**
- Motor Upgrade -- replace with premium efficiency
- Compact fluorescent lamps -- replace incandescent bulbs as they burn out
- Blocking steam main -- to a large portion of the plant in summer

## Energy Program / ESPC

**ESPC**
- $4,500,000 installation, 17-year payback at 8.41%
- Savings guaranteed by the ESCO...no savings, no payment...
- ESCO “owns” all equipment for the performance period
- Union issues made it imperative for Pantex crafts to perform all non-warranty maintenance and operations
- Pantex obligated its own engineers, inspectors, and security escorts to provide construction support for the ESPC installation

**Notes:**
Esco (Energy Savings Company) installs energy efficient equipment at its own expense.  
Payback is from the money saved on the utility bills as a result of these installations. 
Union issues made it imperative for Pantex crafts to perform all non-warranty maintenance and operations  
Pantex obligated its own engineers, inspectors, and security escorts to provide construction support for the ESPC installation  

## Problem!

- No funding for the Low Cost portion of the Low Cost / No Cost Program
- No funding for the $1,000,000 effort for our Construction Support agreed to in the ESPC contract
- No funding for the contractually obligated manufacturer recommended maintenance on ESPC installed equipment
- Guaranteed Savings portion of contract negated if this isn’t performed!

## Solution

- Establish a site-wide Continuous Commissioning Program on HVAC systems
- Generate enough savings to pay for the ongoing commissioning program
- AND enough savings to pay for the ESPC construction and maintenance effort

## Commissioning Program Goals

- Engage commissioning firm to develop a Continuous Commissioning Plan for Pantex
- Train energy manager in procedures of commissioning and the use of hardware and software for operational diagnostics
- Establish templates to document the planning, investigation, implementation, and results of commissioning effort

## Summary Slide

- Commissioning Program Goals

## Commissioning Program Goals

- Achieve energy savings through low cost no cost improvements to existing mechanical systems
- Provide documentation of savings to assist the Pantex energy manager in planning expenditures within the utility procurement budget
- Provide sufficient documented energy savings to fund the required operations and maintenance requirements associated with the ESPC
- Satisfy the operational needs of the occupants of each selected facility

## Commissioning Program Methodology

- Short-term Diagnostic Monitoring
- Use hardware and software tools specifically oriented towards operational diagnostics
- 4 channel, battery powered data loggers with universal inputs
- Dedicated software manages, calculates and filters the data, then provides diagnostic plots to analyze system performance
- Investigates dynamic interactions between components and systems
- Provides information for diagnostics and M&V baseline

## Results:  Site Selection

- Building selection criteria
- Typical systems and functional controls for commissioning training
- Energy savings potential
- Building 11-2 (office occupancy type)
- HVAC system rebuild in 1988
- Multi zone hot deck, cold deck system with hot water heating and DX coil cooling
- Three staging units of electric pre-heat
- Building is cold in winter

## Results:  Monitoring Plan

- 3 week period, 4/13/00 to 5/4/00, 3 minute recording interval, 23 points on 8 dataloggers
- Ambient temperature and relative humidity
- Hot water boiler Supply and Return temp
- Cold deck, Hot deck, Return air, Mixed air temp
- Zone 1,2,3,4 Supply air temp
- AHU supply fan, chiller compressor, AHU return fan, hot water pump current
- Phase A,B,C PreHeat coil current (3 circuits)
- Outside Air damper control air pressure signal

## Results:  Software Configuration

**Notes:**
Screen shot shows how equipment is defined in the software, in this case the multizone air handling unit and associated eqiupment

## Results:  Software Configuration

**Notes:**
This screen defines a DX chiller.  After all the required equipment is defined, the software prepares a data collection logger plan, based on the points required for diagnostic purposes.

## Results:  Software Configuration

**Notes:**
The logger plan tracks points and loggers.  The plan is edited to so that the monitoring points are grouped together based on the physical layout of the equipment.  For example, all electrical measurements may be made in a motor control center, so that they can be grouped on a single datalogger.   Loggers are configured via a computer, and each takes the clock time from the computer so they are synchonized.

## Results:  Data Analysis

**Notes:**
There are three ways to look at the data.  This shows the initial diagnostic plot screen.  Pre-defined data plots are generated, based on the type of equipment.  This plot shows the range of ambient temperatures recorded during the monitoring period.  The range was from 30 to 94 degrees, which allowed for heating and cooling diagnostics, and an effective energy baseline calculation.

## Results:  Data Analysis

**Notes:**
The diagnostic plots also have sample plots which can be used to assist the user understand the operation.  This plot shows a staging DX chiller demand, which is very similar to the actual data.   The data can be filtered based on daytype, time of day, x-y ranges, or other data streams.  

## Results:  Data Analysis

**Notes:**
A schedule based plot reveals that the air handling unit supply fan operated 24/7.  Al the other equipment was also running at all times.

## Results:  Data Analysis

**Notes:**
The second data visualization tool allows the user to plot any two data streams in an x-y format.  This plot shows the outside air damper control air pressure and ambient temperature.  Note that the damper remains fully open below approximately 55 degrees.

## Results:  Data Analysis

**Notes:**
The other visualization tool is a time series plot with up to four data streams.   Dragging on the screen zooms in on the period of interest.  In this case, the outside air temperature, OA damper control signal, and preheat coil power are plotted.  The electric preheat is on at cold outside air temperatures with 100% outside air.

## Results:  Data Analysis

**Notes:**
The software can also be used to create secondary, or calculated, data streams.  The total HVAC system power is here plotted against outside air temperature.  The lower data set is the supply and return fans.  The right hand side is the DX chiller, and the left hand groupings are the electric preheat.

## Results:  Energy Analysis

## Conclusions

- Implementation (no cost)
- Change pneumatic controls to provide minimum outside air at low ambient temperatures
- Disable electric preheat circuits (90kW)
- Heating performance will improve
- Implementation (low cost)
- Add ESPC (BAS) compatible controllers to schedule equipment

## Conclusions

- Diagnostic tools (hardware and software) are effective and efficient commissioning tools
- Consistent methodology for data collection and analysis
- Simultaneously provide diagnostics and energy information
- Initial results show potential energy savings
- Program meets objectives in very challenging work environment (financial, security, labor)