Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ENR5012

 
TITLE Building Management, eLVs and Internet of Things

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Faculty of Engineering

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit shall introduce the basic theory of instrumentation, control and communications applied to commercial and industrial buildings. It shall include how this is applied to the control of HVAC plant and building management systems (BMS). It shall include measurement and instrumentation technology and, the control systems related to services installations. Communications shall cover the basics of signal interfacing, standards and codes of practice, and real time data transfer applied in Building Systems, Networks and the recent advances in IoT technology based systems.

The unit shall consider the basic principles of building management, components and controls, applications, integration, operation and maintenance.

Study-unit Aims:

The aims of the study-unit are to:
- present the measurement and instrumentation technologies used in BMS systems,
- apply available technology to commercial and industrial Environmental Control Systems especially HVAC systems,
- present the basics of Control applied to BMS systems,
- present the reference architecture for communication systems used in BMS,
- introduce the architecture, structure and hardware of various communication system standards,
- illustrate how the recent advances in IoT can be incorporated in BMS systems,
- present various case studies and how the technology is applied in real-life examples,
- introduce the basic principles of building management, components and controls, applications, integration, operation and maintenance.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- distinguish between the various components used in BMS and communication systems used in buildings,
- describe the measurement, instrumentation and control technologies used in BMS systems,
- analyze how a BMS system shall improve the operation and efficiency of HVAC and other systems (e.g. lighting) in buildings,
- identify the most suitable communication system for Network and BMS implementation in buildings,
- identify technologies within the IoT paradigm that enable the integration of geographically disparate BMS.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:
- design a BMS system including all the measurement, instrumentation, control and communication system components,
- design a network system for real-time data transfer within buildings,
- apply the basics in control technology to set-up and operate the BMS system rendering the building more efficient and with increased environmental comfort.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Hersent, O. (2012). The Internet of things: applications to the smart grid and building automation. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Merz, H., Hansemann, T., & Hübner C. (2009). Building automation: communication systems with EIB/KNX, LON and BACnet. Berlin: Springer.
- Levermore, G. (2000) Building Energy Management Systems: An Application to Heating, Natural Ventilation, Lighting and Occupant Satisfaction. Routledge.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture, Independent Study and Project

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Report No 30%
Examination (2 Hours) Yes 70%

 
LECTURER/S Ruben Curmi
Etienne V. Depasquale

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit