COURSE OVERVIEW

 This practical and highly-interactive course includes practical sessions and exercises. Theory learnt will be applied using our state-of-the-art simulators. 

(1) Industrial Facility Visit: Course participants will be taken to an industrial facility where they will practice testing, maintenance and troubleshooting. In case that this course is organized inside client premises (In-House), then client shall provide access to its HVAC and refrigeration workshop for practical sessions. 

 

(2) HVAC Simulator: Participants will use in the class the state-of-the-art HVAC Simulator to practice some of the skills learnt. 

 

Over the last 20 years, no one area of the HVAC industry has changed so dramatically as controls. These critical HVAC subsystems have undergone significant and fundamental changes, perhaps the most drastic of any in our industry. We have evolved from pneumatic controls to "overlay" energy management systems and first generation Direct Digital Controls (DDC), to current generation distributed DDC. The transition has been rapid and today we find ourselves dealing with control systems that are very different than those that were available just a few years ago. 

 

The computer industry's trend of increasing processing power and memory at a lower cost over time is quickly influencing DDC controllers. The advent of open protocols and increased availability and use of site/building/campus networks has increased the complexity of the design, procurement, and operations of these systems. Twenty years ago, we were looking at pneumatic receiver controllers, transmitters, and actuators, along with first-generation, expensive, and centralized DDC products. 

 

 

 

Today, our control systems are graphical, decentralized, relatively inexpensive, and serve up information to us via the Internet. We have moved from a non-proprietary communication protocol that relied on air pressure, to a very proprietary one that allows us to receive and respond to control alarms via our cell phones. Additionally, the control logic that in the past was distributed to single-function hardware components (receiver controllers, switching relays, etc.) now resides in software. 

 

The DDC system is the "brain" of the HVAC system. It dictates the position of every damper and valve, along with which fans, pumps, and chillers run, and at what speed or capacity. Yet, proportionally, it receives very little consideration as compared to the rest of the system during the design phase. This applies in the procurement, installation and maintenance phases as well. Therefore, this course is designed to improve the participant’s knowledge of current DDC systems and the issues surrounding their correct deployment into HVAC systems. The course will give participant a broad range of knowledge to understand the principles and technical concepts used by the various manufacturers. This understanding is essential for the acquisition, implementation, and operation of a cost-effective system. The course will also cover planning, designing and specifying DDC systems. It will provide participant with a comprehensive understanding of the technologies available today.