Intelligent RTU for Central AC Remote Monitoring System in Office Buildings
11/25/2024
Project Introduction
Central air conditioning (AC) systems are some of the most power-intensive equipment within office buildings. By relying on outdoor main units for producing both hot and cold air, these units then provide HVAC to the subsystems in all sections of the building. Traditional AC systems are typically serviced through manual labor. Due to the difficulty of keeping up with usage in all sections, a single lapse in attention can lead to a serious human error resulting in excessive electricity bills. This situation prompts many building operators to set up remote monitoring systems for buildings’ central AC.
System Requirements
To develop a central AC remote monitoring system on their privately built
cloud platform, the company required remote terminal units (RTUs), I/O
modules, and software tools necessary for uploading information about
the AC’s main unit and over 100 subsystems to the cloud. The company
was also responsible for receiving all commands sent down from the
system; giving building managers and users the capacity to monitor
multiple indoor units online.
Project Implementation
- ADAM-3600: Wireless Intelligent RTU with 8x AI, 8x DI, 4x DO and 4-Slots Expansion
- ADAM-3624: 4-ch Analog Output ADAM-3600 Extension Module
- ADAM-4018: 8-ch Thermocouple
Input Module
- ADAM-4053: 16-ch Digital
Input Module
System Description
The project required three functional areas: data collection, pre-processing, and transmission. To meet the project needs, Advantech provided a comprehensive solution including the ADAM-3600 remote terminal unit, WISE-PaaS/EdgeLink edge intelligence core software, the ADAM- 3624 analog output module, custom Advantech RS-485 communication modules, the ADAM-4018 temperature measurement module, and the ADAM-4053 digital input module. Each floor’s ADAM-4018 and ADAM- 4053 were responsible for collecting data from over 200 AC subsystems throughout the entire building and sending the data to the ADAM-3600.
The ADAM-3600 - installed in the central AC main unit room - performed
data collection from the main AC unit. All data was sent into the WISEPaaS/
EdgeLink, built-in with the ADAM-3600, for communication protocol
conversion, before being sent to a remote monitoring system in private
cloud via a wireless network. From there, the system gathered data according
to the API format defined by Advantech. Additionally, the digital
output channel with built-in ADAM-3600 and the analog output provided
by the expansion module ADAM-3624, ran commands sent from the system.
System Diagram
Conclusion
Advantech provides complete solutions with the ADAM-3600 and ADAM-4000 series products; integrating wireless communication, data acquisition, data conversion, and logic control functions. In doing so, Advantech helps AC equipment manufacturers quickly design and implement central AC remote monitoring systems while assisting end users in carrying out optimized analysis of AC operations.
-25/ADAM-4017-F_01--20230216120526.jpg)
-25/ADAM-4068_820x82020210705164031.jpg)
/ADAM-4051_03_S20111031103103.jpg)
-25/ADAM-3668_Front20201014153357.jpg)
/ADAM-4021_02_S20190725132814.jpg)
