Building Management System (BMS) is an intelligent controller-based system that monitors, controls, operates and manages the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system and other building services.
It is also known as Building Automation System (BAS) or Building Management and Control System (BMCS). It ensures the safety and comfort of the building environment, as well as energy savings and efficiency.
The BMS architecture is mainly composed of three sections
- Operator Control Room
- Controlling Operations Unit
- Management Operation Unit
Operator Control Room
It is known as the heart of the Building Management System. It essentially consists of the Control System Software that monitors and controls the various operations of the BMS.
Workstations: These are used to design and develop the control system.
Servers: These are used to monitor & control the control system.
Clients: These are used to monitor the control system.
The overall quantity of workstations, servers, and clients at a particular site depends entirely on the size of the BMS.
The operator sits in the control room and maintains the BMS program. Auxiliary systems are provided for data storage (reader), data printing (printer). In line with the industrial revolution V4.0, data is stored in the cloud for security purposes.
Control Operation Units
Automation or Instrumentation Engineers are expected to play a key role in building management systems as they design, develop and commission the units listed below on site.
These units maintain the building’s environmental conditions.
Air Handling Unit (AHU): The Air Handling Unit is installed in a chamber in the basement or on the rooftop to maintain the air quality. It consists mainly of ducts for the return or supply of air.
Chillers: The chiller is used to remove heat from a liquid medium. It works largely on the refrigeration cycle principle.
There are mainly two types of chillers: air-cooled and water-cooled.
Fan Coil Unit (FCU): The fan coil is a sub-assembly of the air handling unit. It consists mainly of a fan, a coil, and a small controller. It is typically used in designated rooms or areas of the building.
Boilers: Boilers are used for steam production. The steam is then used for multiple purposes, such as temperature control in the BMS.
There are different types of boilers, such as Fire Tube Boilers and Water Tube Boilers, etc.
Pumps: Submersible pumps are typically used in the basement of a building to pump water to the top for various purposes.
Drives: The BMS duct systems consist of huge air blowers. The fan drive (VFD) generates a substantial amount of air for the air conditioning system.
Management Operations Units
These are the operations primarily required of the BMS provider in addition to the above control operation units. They include:
Fire Alarm System (FAS): The fire alarm system is primarily comprised of fire or gas detection devices. It is essentially a safety system designed to notify and warn people of any abnormal situation in the building.
The detection devices mainly work by detecting fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, and other hazardous gases within the building premises.
Energy Management System (EMS): The energy management system is mainly used to increase overall efficiency and minimize energy costs by analysing trends in energy use and transmission.
Elevators, Escalators: Large shopping malls and buildings are equipped with lifts and escalators. These stairs are monitored and controlled by BMS for efficient usage.
Energy Meters: We provide energy meters for improved energy accounting, cost reduction, and the easy monitoring of energy levels.
Water Meters: Today, as part of the 24/7 water services, water meters are provided to improve water accountability on a per-family basis.
The user is billed on a monthly basis in accordance with the meter reading.
CCTV: As part of the security systems provided for Intruder Detection and Alarm Generation, CCTV cameras record data for several months and store it on digital hard drives. This data is then used for security investigations.
Water Management: The wastewater collected within the building is recycled using a water management system to be reclaimed and reused for various purposes such as gardening, washroom flushing, groundwater replenishing, etc.
