‘Building Management System’ is not easily defined but understanding it can make or break your project
By: Damian Skiba, Building Management System and Programmable Logic Controller Subject Matter
Expert and Piotr Zielaskiewicz, Low Current Systems (Telecom) and Building Management System
Subject Matter Expert
The engineering and construction industry is filled with acronyms and the term BMS or building
management system gets used frequently among engineers. But what do industry specialists mean
by the term and why should you care?
Interestingly, the very meaning of BMS is not defined precisely and understanding the purpose and
functionality is essential to grasp the nature of what engineers are dealing with. This article is meant
to help leaders better understand the terminology and how it impacts their project.
While participating in various projects and issues, we encountered different understandings and
approaches to BMS – which can lead to confusion. As engineers, we like to be precise. Sometimes
BMS is understood as a simple system for managing lighting in a building, a central system for
monitoring HVAC systems and/or collecting data on utility consumption.
In industries where installations are designed for this purpose, BMS grows exponentially in terms of
systems it manages and monitors and the number of integrations with various packages, systems, or
even single devices. This is especially visible when we look at BMS covered by Fluor’s Advanced
Technologies and Life Sciences (ATLS) business line, where buildings, their systems and conditions
become part of closely monitored production. A special case of such integration is pharmaceutical
projects, where the BMS or its environmental monitoring system (EMS) is a validated system, i.e.,
subject to special restrictions and monitoring in accordance with established good manufacturing
practice (GMP) principles for pharma plants.
Definition
We define BMS as an automation system enabling the exchange of information and states of various
systems, integrating these technical systems into one common system enabling efficient
management of information and data for control, management, archiving trends and decisionmaking.
The idea of BMS is to control the operating parameters of individual systems or devices and monitor
parameters that inform about statuses, alarms, failures, events and support the operation of these
systems, as well as restoring them to work after any failures in a safe and systematic way.
Increasingly, BMS systems are equipped with workstations and graphical interfaces (SCADA –
supervisory control and data acquisition) supporting the operator in making decisions, as well as
servers collecting trends, failure alarm history and monitoring key parameters of installations and
buildings.
Scope
Today, most industrial equipment is automated and can work independently. From a maintenance
point of view, it is more convenient to manage them from a central point, and for this, a common
integration system is necessary.
As we have already mentioned, the scope of the BMS depends on how we define its functionality,
scope of integration and expansion possibilities. It should be noted that for a large part of the
installation, the scope that the BMS covers will change over time and, more precisely, evolve to the
needs. For pharmaceutical projects and validated systems, such expansion will not take place, but in
other systems or their areas, such modifications frequently occur. Generally speaking, everything in
industrial installations that is not directly managed by a process control system (PCS), or distributed
control system/emergency shutdown system (DCS/ESD) should be considered under BMS
supervision.
A BMS manager should be particularly careful when integrating them with security systems or fire
detection systems, as they are subject to strict regulations and local guidelines. Such regulations vary
in different countries (even within the European Union) and are subject to the approval of local fire
safety inspectors/engineers. Therefore, quite specialized knowledge is needed in this area, and not
everything offered by comprehensive solution providers can be implemented without verification.
For industrial buildings, BMS can manage the following areas:
- HVAC system (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) – Where we may require a
comprehensive system construction with individual controllers for the air handling units
(AHU), variable air volume (VAV), and the management of individual fan-coil units (FCU) or
HVAC system equipment, room sensors, fire dampers, fans, etc., as well as the integration of
signals and statuses for a comprehensive system provided by third parties. We can also
expect integration or control of mechanical or emergency ventilation as well as
reactions/trips from safety systems such as fire detection system (FDS), gas detection system
(GDS) and safety instrumented system (SIS).
- Supporting Utilities or Black Utilities media (Piping and Mechanical) – This is a very wide
scope covering all auxiliary media or media used in buildings, both for the needs of the
building, HVAC installation, or even the process conducted in a given building. The term
“black” utilities come from solutions dedicated to pharmacy and describes all media that do
not have direct contact with the product. This includes individual measurements and
controls as well as package installations delivered by third parties.
- Plumbing – This is an area that is often underestimated or forgotten when considering the
assumptions made for a building. Management, monitoring, and measurement of sewage,
various types of municipal and technological waste, and their separation are important.
When setting utilities, measuring potable water consumption, heating, and other parameters
is important. Such measurements can be conducted inside buildings or on the battery limit
of the plant. At plants where the process may have an impact on the environment, attention
should be paid to monitoring the rainwater system. It is reasonable to consider securing such
a system, e.g., by automated gates separating the internal system from the external one per
SEVESO III - Directive 2012/18/EU.
- Electrical – There is also a very wide scope to discuss here because we can start with the
power management system for medium voltage (with its own SCADA) and finish on
individual switchboards. It all depends on how we define our needs. However, there are
certainly issues to consider:
- Intelligent motor control centers/cabinets (MCC) and medium or low voltage
(MV/LV) panels
- Normal Lighting, Emergency Lighting, Evacuation Lighting
- Power consumption measurement, Power Metering Systems
- Emergency power supply with priorities and UPS systems
- Monitoring statuses of machines/motors/pumps or variable speed drives/variable
frequency drives (VSDs/VFDs) – which are not monitored directly via PCS or DCS
- Sequences for restoring power after a power failure or emergency shutdown
- Battery chargers
- Photovoltaic installations and others
- Building purposes integrated with process – EMS, particle monitoring systems (PMS) for
clean areas, dry rooms, decontamination defined areas.
- Other Building systems – Elevators, escalators, windows and shading, safety showers, boiler
rooms. There may also be a weather, light, or wind monitoring system here, which will affect
other systems.
- Security systems – Closed circuit television system (CCTV), access control systems (ACS), and
air locks, monitoring and directing the flow of people and vehicles (automated guided
vehicles or AGV systems).
- Interfaces to the Safety Systems – fire detection system (FDS), gas detection system (GDS),
and others defined by the technology owner or local regulations.
- Other Expected Interfaces:
- Integration with process (common functions and utilities) as well as common
measurements
- Instrumentation and process control systems
- Transformers SF6 (gas) isolation system and measurement of statuses
- Diesel generators for emergency power or fire water pumps
- Interfaces to the fire protection systems (fire water tanks, fire water pumps, sprinkler
systems) and reset some systems after an alarm occurs
- Elevators or other transportation systems
- Fume hoods in laboratories
- Safety showers
- Continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS), scrubber, water treatment systems
- Factory area protection in case of chemical or other malfunctions (SEVESOIII) –
alarms or physical protection on defined systems, integration to public address and
general announcement system (PAGA)
- A leakage detection system from various installations was also integrated into the
BMS – although it may seem inappropriate, such decisions were made by the
technology owner
- Integration with broadcasting and audio-video systems
- Emergency telephone system(s), hand-held radiotelephone
- Integration with control of parking systems
Considering the experience from some implementations, it may turn out that the architecture of the
BMS system will be more extensive and complicated than a system dedicated to technological
process control. The scope may cover the same areas as for process control – instrumentation,
controllers, packages, but provide for more control scenarios depending on the season, process
efficiency, and other parameters, including other supporting systems – utilities.
Integrated Solutions from Vendors/Manufacturers
Systems related to buildings, energy and media management, condition monitoring, and gathering
knowledge about buildings and installations are becoming increasingly popular. Therefore, their very
dynamic development and increasing sophistication should no longer surprise us. Several key
suppliers/manufacturers of comprehensive BMS solutions have appeared in the market. They offer
advanced and predefined systems that are scalable to the client’s needs. However, solutions offered
by suppliers are characterized by different approaches which define infrastructure and scope,
different controllers, and the size of the systems.
Therefore, the role of an engineer who has knowledge in the field of BMS is especially important.
Working together with the client or technology owner, they will be able to define the needs and
functionality of the BMS system – a factor that can make or break your project.
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